You've got a great Royal Caribbean cruise booked, so what's the best way to splurge to plus the vacation?

Cruise vacations are a fun tradition for many families, and part of the fun of a holiday is treating yourself to things and experiences you wouldn't do at home.

Certainly there are a lot of ways to budget for an affordable trip, but what if you want to splurge? What are the best ways to spend some extra money, such as $1,000 on a Royal Caribbean cruise?

There are a lot of different things you can spend your money on during a cruise: dining, shore excursions, staterooms, drinks and plenty more.

While I've shared many ways to save money and make your vacation budget stretch over the years, there are plenty of times people want to spend extra on their vacation to make it more special.  Perhaps it's an anniversary, honeymoon, graduation gift, or something else celebratory. If you fall into this category, there are definitely quite a few ways to put your money to use on Royal Caribbean.

Even if you're not looking to "make it rain" with cash, these tips could still help those out on a budget because it can illustrate the best ways to spend your money and make it go further. After all, you might be surprised the difference one thousand dollars can make.

Moving up to a suite

I think a lot of people think about their cruise cabin first when thinking about ways to spend more on a cruise.

Moving up to a larger balcony, especially a suite, means more living space and more amenities during your cruise. Suites include some of the best perks you'll get onboard, short of hitting the top tier of Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society loyalty program.

The suite concierge is a dedicated resource exclusively for suite guests that provides a lot of services to you, some of which are unavailable to other guests.

Read more: 10 Surprising things you didn't know the Royal Caribbean concierge can do for you

Then there's the special areas of the ship being in a suite gets you, such as the suite sun deck (or reserved seating at the pool deck) and suite lounge.

Speaking of the suite lounge, you'll enjoy complimentary alcoholic beverages each evening in the suite lounge, which will return some value for the money spent to move up to a suite.

The caveat to spending your $1,000 on a suite is sometimes it may not be enough to move up. Depending on your group size, sail date, and ship, the cost to move up to suite may exceed the budget you have to spend, but if it's in the cards, a suite is tough to beat as a binge.

Making your cruise nearly all-inclusive

They say "money can't buy you happiness" but it sure can buy you a lot of unlimited add-ons which should help keep you happy.

Royal Caribbean sells various extra packages to its guests as an optional way to cap and include certain popular add-ons.

This includes a Royal Caribbean drink package, specialty dining package, or a photo package.

Each of these will include as many drinks, specialty restaurants and photos as you can handle on your cruise. As the name implies, each of these truly is unlimited, so you can go through your cruise not worrying what your final bill will be at the end of the cruise. The peace of mind that comes with these unlimited packages is a major relief.

Depending on the length of your cruise and how many people are in your group, $1,000 might not cover all three of these add-ons. The drink package alone often costs hundreds of dollars for a 7-night cruise with just two adults.

A way to still enjoy these popular add-ons at less of a cost is to purchase one of their lesser packages. The Royal Refreshment or Soda packages are significantly cheaper than the Deluxe Beverage package because it does not include alcohol. The 3-night dining package is going to cost less than the unlimited option. Ditto for a fixed photo package.

Whichever add-ons you buy, there is a tremendous amount of value you can unlock from them.

Read more: What's worth paying extra for on a cruise?

The Key

While I don't recommend Royal Caribbean's VIP add-on program as a must-buy for everyone, if you're spending a grand anyway, it's not the worst investment.

Read more: Counterpoint: why we love The Key

The Key is an option Royal Caribbean provides guests with special perks and access while onboard.

Internet access, early check-in, special times at signature attractions and more are included with The Key.

Having The Key removes anxiety and stress primarily at the beginning and end of the cruise, which is worth something to a lot of cruisers (especially first-timers).

You'll have to buy The Key for everyone in your cabin that is at least 6 years old, but it's likely your $1,000 should cover the entirety of your group.

If you do purchase The Key, be sure to take advantage of everything it offers so you can maximize its value.

Cabana rental

Ever since I tried a cabana for the first time at one of Royal Caribbean's private islands, I've been hooked on this optional purchase.

There are cabanas to rent at Perfect Day at CocoCay or Labadee and they come at various prices.

The reason a cabana rental could be the right choice for your money is it provides lavish benefits during your visit to either of these destinations. For families with kids, having shade, food and drink service, and a base of operations for the day really makes a difference.

There's plenty of seating around both CocoCay and Labadee, but the couch and loungers that come with a cabana are lovely.

The waiter service also makes it extra enjoyable so you don't have to flag down anyone and there's prompt service too. I especially love the CocoCay cabanas will deliver lunch to your cabana.

Behind-the-scenes tour

How about spending your extra money on something most guests will never see?

Royal Caribbean has brought back the behind-the-scenes tours, and they are really interesting and fun to take.

The All Access Tour is a 2-hour walking tour of many areas of the ship that will take you to the bridge, engine control room, laundry room, galley and more. The goal is to show you areas you'd never see and get a better understanding of how much work goes on to keep the ship functional and optimal.

A lot of us wonder what goes into making a cruise ship work so well. It's insightful to see how a ship works, and if you've ever been curious about a cruise ship functions, then this is the tour for you.

More than likely this tour won't blow through your entire $1,000 budget, which will leave you with extra cash for something else.

If you're looking to save $1,000

These extras all sound nice, but what if you'd rather save $1,000 instead of spending it?

If you're looking to cut back on spending on a Royal Caribbean cruise, there are a few different things you can do to keep more money in your pocket for perhaps one of the splurges mentioned in this post.

First and foremost, work with a good travel agent that specializes in cruise vacations so you can take advantage of every discount offered. Did you know there are discounts for residents of certain states or countries? Discounts for active and retired military? Discounts if you're a senior citizen? Money off balcony rooms if you are Platinum or above in Crown and Anchor Society? Interline discounts?

Not only can a travel agent find all the discounts, but their agency or consortia may offer special rates that you would otherwise never know about if you booked on your own. 

Read more: Top things you didn't know travel agents can do for your cruise vacation

If you live in the United States, Canada, or Australia, you can also take advantage of re-pricing if there's a price drop. This strategy has saved me the most money over the years, and it's all thanks to my wonderful travel agent.

It's equally important if you want to shave lots of money off your cruise by booking a cruise during certain times of the year.

Known as "the shoulder season", these are times of the year when cruise prices are a fraction of what they usually cost. Sail the Caribbean in September, Alaska in May, or Europe in October to find incredibly low rates.

In addition to time of the year, you'll spend far less if you skip the new ships. Instead of sailing on Wonder of the Seas or Odyssey of the Seas, take a cruise on Mariner of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, or Freedom of the Seas. These ships are older, but were recently amplified with new features and are a great choice for families.

There's also plenty of waves to cut costs, such as bring your own wine or non-alcoholic drinks onboard.

Read more: 45 ways to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise

Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship is under construction in a shipyard in Finland, and we have a new look at what it looks like now.

Because Royal Caribbean has not shared what Icon of the Seas will look like when complete, cruise fans can only guess what the final product will entail, including features onboard.

The cruise line is likely to reveal more details about Icon of the Seas soon, but there remains significant intrigue surrounding the ship.

In an effort to keep our readers up to date, RoyalCaribbeanBlog commissioned its own aerial drone photos to share what we can see so far from the shipyard.

Since these are exclusive photos, please do not redistribute these photos. Feel free to share a link to this article instead.

These photos were taken on September 19, 2022 with an eye at the progress being made.

Icon of the Seas is being built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, and has been under construction since June 2021.

Compared to construction photos from last month, there has been noticeable progress made in the ship's height, with new decks added.

The aft section on the starboard side is reminiscent of the aft AquaTheater decks found on the Oasis Class ships with the rounded ends.

More progress has been made just behind the ship on what could be a part of the ship's front, which theoretically would be hoisted and installed later to the front.

Looking at the top of the deck, we see what look like support columns towards the rear.  Perhaps supports for a water slide?

Elevated photos reveal a cavernous middle to the ship, which is an area likely to be similar to the Central Park neighborhood found on Oasis Class ships.

Moving to the front of the ship, there appears to be stadium-style seating in the middle.  Traditionally, Royal Caribbean places its theaters in the front of the ship, but this appears to be on a much higher deck than where the Royal Theater is located.

Since Royal Caribbean has not announced new features for Icon of the Seas, we can only speculate as to what things might be.

This aerial photo shows the bow nose piece has been installed.

Icon will be the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature a parabolic bow design.

A parabolic bow is a functional design element that creates a curved indentation in the bottom of the vessel’s hull.  This new bow design helps increase overall stability of the vessel by shifting the center of gravity forward. In addition, parabolic bows allow the ship to be less likely to capsize or heel. This is due to the bow creating an area of low pressure beneath the ship’s hull. 

Icon of the Seas is scheduled to start sailing in late 2023.

Royal Caribbean's series of video updates has promised a new video update sometime this month, but the September update has not been shared yet.

It appears Starlink is up and running on at least one Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean has not announced a roll out plan since posting the news that it has signed a deal with SpaceX to provide Starlink internet on all of its ships, but cruise fans have started noticing changes.

Over the last couple of weeks, teams across different Royal Caribbean cruise ships have been deployed to install Starlink.

It looks as though Independence of the Seas may be the first ship to get the proverbial switch turned on.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Jeff Robinson noticed on the weekend sailing of Independence of the Seas that concluded on Monday the speed tests showed Starlink active.

Independence of the Seas is currently sailing 3- and 4-night short cruises to the Bahamas.

The plan is for every single cruise ship in the Royal Caribbean Group to get Starlink added by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

Other cruise guests have confirmed Starlink is being added on Enchantment, Liberty, and Allure of the Seas. Other ships could also be in the process of getting Starlink as well.

Speed tests from Independence of the Seas

With Starlink apparently active on Independence of the Seas, I was curious to see how well it performed.

I asked Mr. Robinson to conduct a couple of speed tests just to get some raw numbers. Keep in mind these tests were conducted on a cloudy day, which could impact speed results.

The most important number here is not actually the upload or download speed, but rather the latency.

The ping is the reaction time of your connection–how fast you get a response after you've sent out a request. Pre-Starlink, ping was usually quite bad, with times measured in the hundreds of milliseconds. A fast ping means a more responsive connection

The sub-100 ping is fantastic.  My cell phone test at home had a ping of 65 milliseconds, which is very close to the Starlink speed.

Allure of the Seas next?

As stated, Royal Caribbean has not released any kind of roll out schedule, so we're left to figure it out on our own when each ship might get Starlink.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Michael Fenstermaker shared a report from onboard Allure of the Seas on Sunday, claiming the team there is nearly complete with their work.

"The Starlink team nearing completion of the antenna installation on the Allure of the Seas," Mr. Fenstermaker said in a tweet.

What you can do with Starlink

The promise of better internet means better performance for everything you do online while on the ship.

Royal Caribbean says the new service will improve and enable more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming as well as activities like video calls.

Starlink is an interconnected internet network of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit that SpaceX envisions will deliver high-speed internet anywhere on the planet. The company has launched about 2,700 satellites to date.

How much will wifi with Starlink cost?

Royal Caribbean has not announced any price changes yet to its wifi packages.

For the Independence of the Seas cruise, the internet package costs for guests were the same as before.

The cruise line has not confirmed or denied any updates are coming to wifi pricing.

When asked, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said, "We plan to share details with guests, crew and travelers soon."

Welcome to this week's edition of the Royal Caribbean post round-up, where we summarize all of the Royal Caribbean news and information from this week into one handy-dandy post! There is plenty of great content to enjoy, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's round-up!

Did you know about all the really common and simple mistakes you can avoid on a cruise ship?

While there are plenty of mistakes to avoid that new cruisers probably have no clue about without learning first-hand about them, there's also a handful of mistakes that don't require years of cruise experience to identify as a fault.

Consider this a refresher for what not to do in order to cover all your bases and not succumb to an easy first-time cruiser mistake.

Royal Caribbean News

• Harmony of the Seas changes itinerary to avoid Tropical Storm Fiona
• Spotted: Starlink being installed across multiple Royal Caribbean cruise ships
• How to get to Royal Caribbean's cruise terminals and how much parking will cost
• Alaska cruise packing list
• When is the best time to cruise to Alaska?
• 5 Signs you're ready to move up to a suite on a cruise ship
• Which family cruise can you book for $2000?
• 30 Best European cruise tips
• How to prevent seasickness on a cruise
• Guide to cruises from Galveston
• How fast do cruise ships go?

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 468th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where Matt answers emails listeners have sent in.

This week's podcast episode is dedicated to just answering questions and comments our podcast listeners have submitted.

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.

Video: Royal Caribbean drink package vs. Diamond Drinks!

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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: Royal Caribbean drink package vs. Diamond Drinks!

25 examples of crew members wowing passengers

Royal Caribbean's crew members are known for their excellent service and it's very common for them to go above and beyond what's expected.

The more you cruise, the more likely you will run into an exceptional crew member who really cares about an issue or request you have while onboard. 

I asked the RoyalCaribbeanBlog community to share examples of times that Royal Caribbean staff have gone above and beyond to provide exceptional customer service for their family while sailing.

13 ways to get the best cruise deals

Want to save money on a cruise, or do you want to get the lowest possible price on a cruise?

The key to finding a great cruise deal is to know where and when to look.

No matter the time of year, these tricks should get you a great price so you can maximize every dollar of your vacation budget.

Cruise ship shore excursions I instantly regretted

Every now and then I'll take a shore excursion and realize I've made a mistake.

I've usually had good luck with choosing a tour, but occasionally I'll run into one that makes me wish I had chosen something different.

Here are five times I took a cruise ship shore excursion and reconsidered my decision almost immediately.

There have been a few shore excursions I've taken over the years that I would love to get my time and money back.

Shore excursions are a major part of any cruise vacation because the ports of call a cruise ship visits is an extension of the overall trip. Each day you visit a new port and there's just enough time to get a taste of what that city, island, or country has to offer.

I've usually had good luck with choosing a tour, as I've learned the sort of things I like and don't like to do. But once in a while, I run into a dud and realize I've made a mistake.

Sometimes the issue is subjective because I personally don't care for the type of tour offered or something else just isn't my cup of tea.

Other times, I felt the tour just didn't measure up to expectations. In any case, it left me wishing I had done something else.

Here are five times I took a cruise ship shore excursion and reconsidered my decision making almost immediately.

Blue Waters Beach Escape in Falmouth

Ever since Royal Caribbean started visiting Falmouth, Jamaica, I've struggled to find a great go-to shore excursion.

Part of the issue is Falmouth is a relatively new cruise port and there aren't a lot of attractions nearby, which means you need a long bus trip to get to the great stuff.

On one visit in 2016, I thought to heck with spending an hour or more on a bus, we'll go to the beach and enjoy the Caribbean waters because how bad could it be?

We tried Blue Waters Beach Escape that I booked through Royal Caribbean and it reinforced one of the most common issues a person can have on a tour booked through the cruise line: an oversold and underwhelming experience.

While bus ride was short to the beach (about 10 minutes), we found a ton of other tours had beaten us here, which left very little seating.  

Some guests who arrived after us had no chairs available and had to settle for beach chair mats until chairs were freed up by departing guests.  The shore excursion title says, "An exclusive Blue Waters Beach Escape", but clearly this was not as exclusive as one may have thought.

On top of that, the food offered by the beach's "5-star chefs" was also quite underwhelming and limited.

The lesson for me here was to reconsider beach break shore excursions sold through the cruise line for the overselling aspect it brings with it. In the Caribbean, there are plenty of beaches in any port, so I'm best served by finding another way to visit one of the other less-crowded options.

A day at Margaritaville

Another "Jamaica mistaica" was to skip the tours all together and just hang out at the Margaritaville in Falmouth.

On my next visit to Falmouth, we thought we'd take it easy and just hang out in the Margaritaville bar that contained within the Falmouth cruise port because it has a rather large pool, plenty of chairs, and food that we'll enjoy (even if it's nothing special or authentic).

The day started off good, as we got to Margaritaville and found our spot. There was no cost to enter the pool or use the facilities and the kids really enjoyed the pool.

Unfortunately, a lot of other people had the same idea we did and by mid-morning, the pool and seating was super crowded.

Being a Margaritaville, the food and drink were nothing spectacular but also quite expensive. The longer we stayed, the more I thought "I could be enjoying a very similar experience back on the cruise ship for a lot less money".

We eventually packed things up and went back to the ship, but the lesson I learned here was Margaritaville is fine for a quick visit, not a whole day stop.

Trying to get to St. John on my own

Ever since I visited St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I loved how absolutely beautiful it was and wanted to return every time.

In order to visit St. John, you have to take the ferry from an area of St. Thomas known as Red Hook. Red Hook is not really near any popular beaches, so it is not exactly the most popular destinations out there.

My plan was to go take the ferry to nearby St. John and enjoy a day at one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited. 

We went to the taxi stand and asked to go to Red Hook.  In St. Thomas, taxis in the form of a sedan are nearly nonexistent.  

Each taxi driver passed us on to someone else, as they were unwilling to drive us there.  For some strange reason, the taxis in St. Thomas are primarily these converted pickup truck buses, and the taxi operators all want to maximize every seat in the vehicle.

So after 30-40 minutes of literally standing around to go, we were told to board one of these buses to go to Red Hook.  Except the bus was not going to Red Hook. We asked the people onboard where they were headed, and were told some other beach on the island.  So clearly the plan was to take these folks somewhere, and drop us off later. 

I was so irritated at the situation, that I decided I would rather spend my day back on the ship than deal with the taxi consortium.

My lesson learned here was to either book a Royal Caribbean excursion that would take us to St. John, or pre-arrange private transportation to the ferry area.

Read more: Guide to visiting St. John on a Royal Caribbean cruise

Kennedy Space Center

Don't worry, I loved Kennedy Space Center when I visited it on my Anthem of the Seas cruise. The issue was how I chose to get there.

We sailed on Anthem of the Seas from New York and had a port stop in Port Canaveral.

I don't remember why, but when we decided to visit Kennedy Space Center I was fixated on finding a Royal Caribbean shore excursion to take us there. Kennedy Space Center is a very short distance by car from Port Canaveral, and I'm not certain why I didn't take a taxi cab.

We got to the space center without any problems and had a fabulous time, but we wasted a lot of time with the bus.

We booked the Kennedy Space Center Express tour, which was not a guided tour, and it would simply drive us to the entrance and give us a time to return back.

Part of my mistake was assuming 5 hours at Kennedy Space Center was going to be too much time and I'd run out of things to do. The reality was I wish we had another five hours because it was incredible.

Had I just taken a taxi to Kennedy Space Center, we could have squeezed out another hour or two from our day.

Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel

My most recent shore excursion goof was spending the day at Mr Sanchos Beach Club in Cozumel.

Within a half hour of arriving, that little voice in my head started saying "this was a mistake" and I tried my best to enjoy the day but it was a disappointment.

It's my opinion that Mr. Sanchos' popularity seems to have lead to the one faux pas of any beach spot: overcrowding. They clearly had sold every chair and table at the resort and I found it to be overcrowded and unenjoyable.

The wait staff were great, but I found it disappointing how busy things were because it felt like we were all pushed together a little too much.

Making matters worse was the food, which came overcooked and didn't taste great.

I know Mr. Sanchos is a beach resort a lot of people have enjoyed over the years, but I thought it paled in comparison to many other beach days spots in Cozumel.

Bonus: Walt Disney World

Consider this a word of caution rather than a personal experience.

A lot of cruisers that visit Port Canaveral for the day are tempted to book a shore excursion that takes them to Walt Disney World in nearby Orlando. 

It's an hour-long drive and seems like a great idea for a day visit.

The problem with this idea is how incredibly expensive a one-day pass is to the parks, along with the timing.

Because your ship arrives much later than when the theme parks open for the day (compounded by the fact it will take you time to disembark and then drive to the parks), you'll have a very limited window of time to enjoy what Disney offers. 

Moreover, because you have to be back onboard the ship much sooner than the theme parks close, there's just no way you're getting your money's worth from a day visit.

If you want to experience Disney World with a cruise, your best best is to do a land vacation there before your cruise for a few days, and then book a short weekend cruise on Royal Caribbean to recuperate.

The Atlantic hurricane season has been quiet thus far, but it's claimed an itinerary change for at least one cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas cruise ship has changed itineraries to avoid the path of Tropical Storm Fiona.

Guests booked on Harmony of the Seas have been advised they will change from an Eastern Caribbean itinerary to a Western Caribbean itinerary.

In an email to guests, Royal Caribbean said the change was made, "to maintain a safe and comfortable journey."

Instead of sailing to St. Thomas and St. Maarten, Harmony of the Seas will go to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.

This change affects the September 18, 2022 sailing of Harmony of the Seas only.

The ship will still visit Perfect Day at CocoCay as scheduled.

Tropical Storm Fiona is now very near the Leeward Islands and is forecasted to move westward across the U.S. and British Virgin Islands on Saturday and Puerto Rico late Saturday and Saturday night.

The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Fiona's center is approaching Guadeloupe and tropical storm conditions (winds 39 mph or higher), heavy rain and strong waves are expected in the Leeward Islands.

Fiona is then forecasted to strengthen after moving across Hispaniola early next week and could impact the Turks and Caicos islands as well as southeastern Bahamas.

Cruiser reaction

Whenever cruise lines need to change an itinerary due to weather, there's plenty of thoughts on the impact from the guest perspective. 

Thomas Beaulieu wrote on Facebook, "That's still a great itinerary. You will get more than your money's worth if you bought the beverage package. 5 out 7 days you get full use of the package all day and night! Cheers."

Chris Blahut, wrote "Can’t do anything about the weather. Better to be safe than sorry."

Ragene Warner Pinson was disappointed, but understood the need for the change, "What a bummer. I understand why but that’s still a bummer. St Thomas and Saint Martin are so much better than the Mexico ports and my personal opinion."

Quiet hurricane season so far

At the risk of jinxing our collective luck, so far hurricanes have not been a major factor so far in 2022 in the Atlantic.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs between June and November, and there's been only three named storms before September. 

There were no named storms in the Atlantic during August, the first time that had happened since 1997.

For what it's worth, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an updated forecast in early August for the rest of the season, which still called for an above-normal level of activity.

NOAA thinks there will be 14 to 20 named storms, with six to 10 turning into hurricanes. Three to five of those could strengthen into major hurricanes — Category 3 or stronger — with winds of at least 111 m.p.h.

Right now going on a cruise ship is one of the best vacation values out there, and if you're looking for the best deal, there are a few tried-and-true strategies.

Cruise ships are sailing at 100% capacity in the Caribbean, which means lots of people are vying to get onboard as well.

While there are lots of people enjoying a cruise, the good news is you can still get a great deal on a cruise if you're looking for a deal. The key is to know where and when to look.

To get the best cruise deal, you're going to want to employ these top tips for getting a great price. No matter the time of year, these tricks should get you a great price so you can maximize every dollar of your vacation budget.

Book a cruise during off-peak times

Every region of the world that a cruise ship sails has peak and off-peak times, so if you can take a cruise during the less popular times you will find some of the best cruise deals out the season.

Off-season cruises are when there are less people able or willing to go on a cruise. Usually this is at the very beginning or very end of when ships begin sailing in a region, such as Europe or Alaska.

In the Caribbean, where the cruise season is year-round, the off-peak cruise times are usually opposite the school calendar. When school is in session, there are less families that can cruise.

Just like a 6am flight, there is less demand for these departures and that means lower prices to be found.

Besides bad timing, less than perfect weather can be a factor for why there is less demand for certain sailings.

In Alaska, the very beginning and end of the season is when it is coldest. May and September typically are when Alaska cruise prices dip to their lowest.

In the Caribbean, hurricane season greatly impacts people's desire to book a cruise. This means lower prices for a Caribbean cruise in September or October. You'll also find great prices in January and early February, when school is back in session.

Work with a travel agent

In other forms of travel, the public has been conditioned to expect the best prices if you book things on your own to "skip the middle man". This strategy doesn't work as well with cruises.

The cruise industry still relies heavily on travel agents to spur sales, and there is no doubt that a good travel agent can help get you the lowest possible price for a cruise.

The potential money savings of working with a travel agent are not about simply who can do an internet search for a cruise price faster. Travel agents have access to special group rates and discounts you would never be able to find on your own.

Many travel agents are part of a consortium of agencies, who have rates you cannot otherwise book. 

Moreover, a lot of people booking on their own may simply be unaware of special discounts offered to select groups, such as residency discounts, military discounts, and more.

If there's one incredibly common mistake people make by booking on their own, it's not fully understanding the deposit rules and regretting it later when there are fees for changing or cancelling.  Travel agents can assist greatly with this before making a mistake.

A good travel agent can guide you through the different fares, help you pick out the perfect cruise ship cabin type for your family and avoid the bad cabins.

The best part about leveraging a good travel agent is they should cost you nothing extra to use, because Royal Caribbean pays them a commission for their services.

Book your cruise as early as you can

The best strategy for locking in a great price for your cruise is to book as early as you can.

Cruise ship pricing has many factors, but as more and more cabins on a particular sailing get booked up, prices tend to go up as inventory diminishes.

Cruise experts advocate booking your cruise as soon as you can. Ideally, when Royal Caribbean releases the new sailings around two years in advance of the sail date and inventory is untouched. 

Not only will booking a cruise years in advance get you a rock bottom price, you're also going to have plenty of cabin types to choose from. The first type of cabins to sell out on a cruise are almost always suites.

Of course, booking a cruise that far in advance is difficult for many people because most people don't plan vacations years in the future. But if you have the flexibility, this is the best strategy for netting a great cruise price.

Read more: How far in advance should I book a cruise to get the best price?

Book a cruise on an older ship

While Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Quantum Class ships are as amazing to cruise on as they look, they do not usually have the cheapest cruise fares out there. Newer ships command higher prices.

Instead, price shop around the Voyager or Radiance Class ships to find the real bargains.

Similar to how a used car that is a few years old will provide a better value than a brand new vehicle, cruise ships that have been around for a few years tend to offer better deals to entice cruisers to book them.

The great thing about the Voyager and Radiance Class ships is that you are not compromising a ton on the onboard experience, but will save a lot compared to the bigger ships.

Book a repositioning cruise

If you don't mind flying, you can often find the lowest prices for a cruise on a sailing that begins in one port and ends in a different port.

Known as repositioning sailings, these are when Royal Caribbean moves the ship from one region to another.

Because of the logistics of getting to and from the cruise, as well as duration of the sailing, repositioning cruises can be a tremendous value. Simply put, less people are willing to book these because it requires more vacation time or they'd have to find a different way home.

The most common type of repositioning cruises are transalantic and transpacific cruises, where the ship moves between North America and Europe or Australia.

Last-minute cruise deals

More elusive than booking early, you can sometimes book a last-minute cruise deal if you are flexible.

This won't work for everyone, but there are sometimes really good prices in the final weeks leading up to a sailing when inventory hasn't fully sold out yet.

As mentioned earlier in this article, prices tend to go up over time as more and more people book a sailing. But sometimes a sailing doesn't sell as well as Royal Caribbean wants, and you can find a price drop meant to spur sales.

If you can travel on short notice and aren't picky, there are last-minute cruise deals to be had for those that look for them.

When you book at the last minute, you'll have less cabins to choose from and last minute airfare prices may negate any savings from the cruise fare.

Read more: Why booking a last-minute cruise isn't always a great idea

It's important to act quickly if you do spot a good cruise to book that sails soon, because inventory within the last month or two of a cruise will disappear fast.

Book a guarantee cabin

One way to turn an average cruise price into a great deal is to let Royal Caribbean pick your exact cabin.

Guarantee staterooms are when you tell Royal Caribbean the minimum cabin type you want and let the cruise line assign a cabin to you, instead of you picking a specific room.

You will receive a room of at least that category (or higher), but it may be days or weeks before you learn of the room assignment.

In exchange for this ambiguity of room selection, you can often save hundreds of dollars off your cruise fare.

Keep in mind that you may end up with a cabin at the very front or very back of the ship. Or even a cabin with a partially blocked view. Those that value convenient cabin location or are sensitive to motion sickness may not want to roll the dice on a guarantee cabin.

If the exact location of your cabin doesn't matter much to you, then a guarantee room could be your ticket to deep savings.

Read more: How to find the cheapest cabins on Royal Caribbean

Book Kids Sail Free if you have kids

Royal Caribbean will periodically offer a kids sail free promotion, where the third and fourth passengers under the age of 12 in your cabin will cost you nothing extra in terms of cruise fare.

In short, kids sail free will result in a cruise fare cost of zero dollars for third guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger. You are still responsible for paying for the taxes and port fees associated with the children, along with any other charges onboard.

For families, a kids sail free promotion is one of the most lucrative offers Royal Caribbean has, especially if you book a suite since the per-person savings are highest in these luxurious cabins.

Kids sail free will still save you money on other cabin types, but the amount is significantly less.

One drawback of kids sail free is you have to share a cabin with your kids. This means in many cabins one bathroom for three or four of you.

Families on a budget can often get a great deal, especially when combining kids sail free with the tip earlier in this article about booking as early as you can.

Going Going Gone Rates

A wonderful tool meant for travel agents to spot great deals has returned.

Before the pandemic the Going, Going, Gone weekly flyer was a staple at Royal Caribbean that would list especially good rates for last minute cruises to book.

The flyer usually gets updated weekly on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.

You'll have to act fast if you want in on these days because by week’s end, most of the deals are gone.

You can find the flyer always at this address.

Chase the best deal and not a specific date

The more flexible you are, the better the chances of finding a rock-bottom cruise fare.

If you have the ability to go on vacation anytime, you'll find far more super cheap cruise deals out there compared to trying to find a low price for a specific week.

Cruise experts recommend looking at cruise prices for many destinations and not limit yourself to just one week.  Instead, look at prices across two or three months and you'll likely find many better deals.

Sail from less popular ports

Instead of booking a cruise from Miami, New York, or Orlando, try to book a cruise from a different port to nab a really good price.

Royal Caribbean sails from many cruise ports around the United States, and there are definitely certain embarkation ports where prices tend to be lower for a variety of reasons.

Generally speaking, you'll find lower prices if your cruise begins in one of these ports:

• Tampa, Florida
• Galveston
• Los Angeles
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Baltimore

Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with sailing from these ports.  The reason prices tend to be less on cruises from here are the ships are not always the newest, and the market the cruise lines target for these regions require a different price than other places.

Pick a weird length for a cruise

Instead of a 7-night cruise, try a slightly shorter or longer cruise.

For most families, a week-long cruise is the perfect length of time for a cruise because it fits in nicely with school vacations and time off work.

Often, you'll find a better price for four, five, six and eight-night cruises.

The reason has to do with a combination of logistics and psychology. Many four-, five-, and six-night cruises begin at the start of the week, which still require as many vacation days as a 7-night cruise. 

Usually 5- and 8-night cruises tend to begin on non-traditional embarkation days (i.e. not a weekend) and that can be a problem for many to coordinate with time off.

Book an inside room instead of a balcony

While a balcony cabin is wonderful, you can save a lot of money by booking an inside room instead.

An inside or oceanview cabin will usually get you a much better deal given how popular balcony rooms are these days.

Remember, you're going to be so busy around the ship and in port that your cabin will end up being a place to sleep, shower, and change. So why pay a lot more for a room you won't use all that much?

Read more: Oceanview vs Balcony staterooms on a Royal Caribbean cruise

More cruise advice

• What is the best room on a cruise ship?
• Picking a Cruise Line and Ship
• Avoid these mistakes when picking a cruise ship cabin
• 25 best Royal Caribbean tips, tricks & hidden secrets
• 5 Costly lessons learned on a cruise (and how to avoid them!)
• 15 really cool things to do that you can only find on Royal Caribbean cruise ships
• Ultimate Cruise Packing List

Crew members on Royal Caribbean cruise ships work incredibly hard to provide an excellent vacation, and there are so many examples of times someone's vacation has been improved thanks to the crew.

The more you cruise, the more likely you will run into an exceptional crew member who really cares about an issue or request you have while onboard. Royal Caribbean's internal credo is "Passionate Friendly Committed" and that mantra applies to the crew's attention to guests.

To that point, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley posted on Facebook this week, "Our crewmembers are undoubtedly the greatest in the industry!" and took the time to thank the hard working crew members.

"Thank you to our entire crew, who are the faces of the unforgettable vacations that our guests expect!"

Mr. Bayley's words a reminder of how much impact a crew member can have on a vacation, and it got me thinking about examples of when crew really step up.

I asked the RoyalCaribbeanBlog community to share examples of times that Royal Caribbean staff have gone above and beyond to provide exceptional customer service for their family while sailing.

On the Harmony in August debarkation day Coastal Kitchen was packed and breakfast coming out delayed. By the time we finished the concierges were done with their 3rd and final escort downstairs. I asked if there were any more and was told no, they were done. No worries, we gathered our things and made our way to wait for elevator. The concierges came out and said they would make an exception and do one more! We were whisked off in lightening speed. Very very kind, in no way did they have to do that. 

Neesa

On Liberty a week ago, we went to Johnny Rocket’s for our autistic son’s 31st birthday.   Our waiter figured it out, discreetly checked with us, and came out with a piece of cake with a candle in it.  He and another waiter sang happy birthday.  I’m not sure where he got the piece of cake, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t there at Johnny Rocket’s. 

teddy

My wife loves chocolate croissants. At some point during our 7 nights on Indy in July, I think she mentioned it to the server who puts out the Diamond Lounge breakfast pastries because we hadn't seen any all trip in any of the locations we would normally find them. 

I went up to get coffee from the machine on one of the last mornings and there was a covered plate sitting on the concierge's desk. The server finally came across some chocolate croissants, remembered, and set aside about 5 of them for my wife. Small gesture but definitely above & beyond to me given that we had barely spoken to him. It's not like he was our stateroom attendant and we had gotten to know him over the course of a week.

OCSC Mike

Our stateroom attendant on Allure for our 2 bedroom Grand Suite made sure one in our travel party got the bodywash and conditioner she liked. On every cruise I have been on there is always a crew member who remembers me and what I like.

Ampurp85

Our stateroom attendant on Voyager let us use his hotspot from his international sim card when in port to download some maps because the onboard internet sucked in the Baltics this summer.

MLH

On symphony at Jamie's my then 4 year old wanted mac and cheese. They didn't have on the menu so I asked her to pick something else. Our waiter said not to worry and went to get a bowl of it from Chops!

Marlena

My last cruise there was a bar server on the pool deck that would find me everyday no matter where I lounged and gave me great service the rest of the day! 

Jerseygirl98

I think for me it's any crew member that makes me feel special. I've experienced this with a Head Waiter on Jewel, Waiter team on Freedom and a Bartender on Oasis. They took the time to get to know me/spend time with me, to spoil me with extras and of course make my experience even better.  Maybe that's my love language. I appreciate that more. 

D Alt

I love red velvet cake. My waiter made sure I had it every night. He went to Chops and got it for me. I will never forget his act of kindness.

Sweety

Darla Fox  went above and beyond as a pub singer.  She was engaging and entertaining and understood what her job was.  She made it a point to learn requested songs for our group and would come back later in the cruise and play them for us.  She made an effort to get to know her audience and interacted with them more than I've seen any other entertainer on a cruise ship ever do.  

AshleyDillo

A concierge (Dudley), currently on Mariner, who went way out of his way to ensure there were gluten free appetizers for my wife in the suite lounge.

smokeybandit

Every night for dessert, my youngest wanted chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  I don’t know what it was about those cookies, but he was obsessed with them.  Our server Amilia and another server were assigned to cover the unexpected large party.  Amilia came over to take our dessert order, and of course my youngest orders cookies.  A few minutes later, she comes back to tell us that they’re out of cookies in Coastal Kitchen, but not to worry, she called down the Main Dining Room galley and they’re going to send up some fresh ones. Fifteen minutes now, and Amilia comes flying out of the back, all of our desserts in hand.  She then proceeds to apologize to us for the wait and ran down there herself to get one order of cookies for a 7 year old.  We apologized to her and told her she didn’t have to do that, we could have just run to the Windjammer or the MDR or even ordered them to the cabin from room service!  Without batting an eye, she just matter of factly stated, “There’s no way I was going to let him leave on his last night without his cookies.”  

USCG Teacher

While dining in Giovanni's on Allure back in 2019, the waiter ran over to Chops to grab a specific brand of wine we discovered and enjoyed that was not on hand at Giovanni's. My wife still asks for it by name on every Royal cruise now!

JohnK6404

Were at Izumi's and we asked if they had Yummy Yummy sauce to the waitress, most places have it at their Hibachi.  She went in the back and came back with sauce that one of the cooks made by looking the recipe on his phone, made the meal so much better.  Next we had Jamie's booked before we board, but till it was coming up on the night realized that was the 2nd formal night in the dinning room, which means that was lobster night and would miss it.  Was a little bummed, the waiter always asked if he would see us the next night, but told him we would be going to Jamie's and bummed we were missing lobster night.  We are sitting there our apps come that we ordered and then our main dish comes out.  A few minutes later our waiter comes back with 4 lobster tails and said the head waiter sent these up for us. 

dustfsu

In 2010 the first year Bud Light Lime was available towards the end of the cruise the pub ran out. Our server disappeared after taking our order and he came back maybe 10 minutes later( an unusually long time) walking down the promenade. He appeared a bit sweaty and then apologized.  He had gone to 5 different bars looking for the beer.

constable145

On Oasis and I requested a memory foam topper to go on top of the hard bed.  I was told they had no such thing.  The stateroom attendant inquired of any special requests.  I mentioned having had a memory foam mattress on Oasis in May and how I could not sleep comfortably on the regular mattress.  When we moved into our new cabin my side of the bed was quite comfy, great for my back.   The attendant inquired if all was well and he showed me how he doctored my side of the bed with mattress pads and blankets.  He was one of the nicest attendants I ever met.

Pattycruise

When we have been fortunate/able to eat in Coastal Kitchen on our sailings, there is a black truffle butter pasta that I weep over. It's not even the pasta itself as much as it is the sauce. I said something to our server the first night we were dining there and then, the chefs came out at one point and made their way over to our table and I let them know how much i enjoyed it, that it is my favorite dish in all of Coastal Kitchen and that i could now die happy, having been reunited with my favorite dish on the seas. For the remaining nights of the cruise, I had black truffle butter pasta for dinner.

asquared17

Cruising with my in-laws, there was a night after Coco Cay when the kids were too tired for the Main Dining Room. So our wait staff sent our usual desserts to be delivered by the in-laws. I was wowed!

BowTieBrigade

After getting the first towel animal, I left a cute note saying I wanted to keep it, success in used to royal breaking them down the next morning. For the rest of the 8-night cruise we had towel animals every night. This is our fifth cruise and we've never had animals every night. It's a small thing but coming back every night to see an adorable animal on the bed waiting for me had me smiling every night.

Crimson Cruiser

Daughter, 7 at the time, decided to try the climbing wall.  She did ok but just could not get past one point and was frustrated.  Next time she came to try again, one of the (female) sports staff put on the harness and climbed alongside her, pointing out where to put the foot or where to grab, and eventually literally pushing my daughter's bottom up to help through the challenging spot.

roundabout

I happened to see a chef walking towards Jaime’s on the Anthem right before opening time. I quickly mentioned to her (Chef Sharon) how much I loved the food. She then brought me into the closed restaurant and had her entire kitchen staff come out to meet me. That was an amazing experience to see the smiles and appreciation from those who work ‘back of house’.

BrianB

I did two cruises on Navigator in fairly quick succession this last year.  I apparently spent far too much time in the Schooner Bar because not only did the bartenders remember me, and called me by name, but they remembered how to make the 'Kat-tini' that I had showed them how to make in November.  Wow!

BeachGal

I love the towel animals! And love that Royal committed to continuing delivering them. In an article I read about Royal continuing them they said they deliver them every other night, but the stateroom attendants have discretion to provide them more frequently based on request or "guest enjoyment", so your thank you note likely played into getting them every night.

Jack805

My husband had taken his tux to be altered before we left and somehow his tux shirt did not get back into the suit bag. Out of desperation I asked the concierges if they still have shirts onboard from when they rented them out while knowing that my chance was about .00032343% of that happening.  It turns out that she knew the tailor on the ship and called him. Within 15 minutes he met us in our cabin, measured my husband for a shirt and left.  Within 15 additional minutes he returned with a tux shirt that fit my husband freshly pressed and ready to wear.

AlohaLivin

We mention to our waiter's and our head waiter on our last two cruises, that we love Indian curry dishes.  They have brought us a fantastic dish every night with dinner...Most of the time from the crew mess.

Psycho and Barb

What are some examples of times that Royal Caribbean staff have gone above and beyond to provide exceptional customer service for you or your family?

Cruise ships are massive ocean going vessels packed with lots to do, so how fast can they really go?

To move a ship as large as Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class cruise ships requires a combination of power generation and efficiency. After all, the easier something is to get going, the less energy required overall.

If you have seen a modern cruise ship up close, they are quite large and can move from port to port, and even continent to continent.

Here's everything you may have wondered about cruise ships and their speeds.

How fast can a cruise ship travel?

Depending on the exact ship, cruise ships can get up to a good speed given the need.

Cruise ship speeds are measured in knots, and one knot is 1.15078 miles per hour on land.

Royal Caribbean says its cruise ships go as fast as 18 to 20 knots, depending on the specific ship and itinerary travelled. This is equivalent to 20 to 23 miles per hour on land.

But how fast can they get up to if they needed? During her sea trials in 2016, Harmony of the Seas' top speed was in excess of 25 knots, making her the fastest cruise ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet at the time.

The reality is ships never approach their top speed because it's just not good for fuel consumption.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain explained that it makes more sense to cruise at a lower speed, "We would never go at that speed."

"The real objective is to go 18 or 19 knots much more efficiently, (and) the thing that makes it able to do that also makes it faster."

According to Fain, the fastest speed that other Royal Caribbean ships is under 25 knots.

In order to measure a ship's top speed, they calculate an average that takes into consideration going with and against the waves in the ocean. The weather plays a major role in how fast a ship could travel, just like how an airplane's top speed can depend on how strong of a tail or headwind it encounters.

Similarly, a ship's displacement, condition of the hull and propeller, or draft can all factor into a ship's top speed.

How cruise ships can go faster

Looking at a massive cruise ship, it looks to be challenge to move the ships at almost any normal speed, so how do they do it?

The secret in managing speed versus fuel efficiency is in the ship's engineering.

Over the years, cruise ship design has seen improvements of the hull design and other design tweaks meant to allow the ship to move at faster speeds. As an example, Harmony of the Seas is 20% more efficient than Oasis or Allure of the Seas, thanks to improvements in hydrodynamic design, a new type of engine and product enhancements

One example of using science to help ships be faster is via the installation of an air bubble system under the hull. Tiny bubbles stick to the bottom of the ship's hull so the ship literally is sailing on a cushion of air.

This air lubrication system allows the ship to float on air, with millions of tiny bubbles created under the hull to reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency. 

Essentially, every improvement means cruise ships can go faster with the same fuel use or the same speed with less energy.

What is the fastest cruise ship in the world?

Because Royal Caribbean cruise ships are meant to be pleasure vessel (as opposed to ocean liners that are designed to get passengers from one port to another), speed is not a major objective for these ships.

But fast speeds are still needed in the case of an onboard emergency, or to outrun bad weather.

By most accounts, the fastest ship is/was Cunard's Queen Mary 2, with a top speed of 30 knots, or 35 mph.  She was just a tad slower than sister vessel Queen Elizabeth 2, which ad a reported top speed of 32 knots.

Instead of the diesel-electric configuration found on many ships, Queen Mary 2 uses an integrated electric propulsion to achieve her faster-than-average speeds.

Beyond those Cunard ships, many contemporary cruise ships clock in right around Harmony of the Seas' top speed of around 25 knots.

Why do cruise ships travel at a slower speed?

Not only do cruise ships rarely travel at their fastest speed, but they often go much slower.

There can be many reasons why a cruise ship slows down, and it's not just to save fuel. Certainly fuel consumption can play a major role in determining what speed to travel at, but other conditions can dictate a slower speed.

One common reason is a short distance between ports of call. Cruise ships are scheduled to arrive in port at a certain time, and each hour they spend in port costs the company money in docking fees. As a result, a ship will reduce speed so they arrive exactly at the time they are scheduled to dock, and not earlier.

On sea days, it is common for a ship to slow down to follow favorable weather so passengers can enjoy the sunshine. This is especially the case when the distance to the next port is short.

Sometimes, the Captain will even slow a ship down to everyone can see a sunset or other passing scenery.

In some places around the world, government regulations require cruise ships to travel at a slow speed.