After I book a cruise, there's a sense of euphoria with all the excitement, but it's also when I start planning things out.

While you could probably book a cruise and do nothing else extra and still have a good vacation, I never leave things to chance. I always go through my checklist of important things to do before a cruise begins.

There are some very obvious things to do before any vacation starts, such as reserve a spot in the kennel, book a flight or hotel, or put in time off from work.  But I think there's more than that most people should be doing to avoid an easily avoidable issue later.

In all my years of cruising, I've found the most common problems tend to be ones that are avoidable with some early planning. You can't plan around every possible situation, but you can avoid the biggies.

With that in mind, I wanted to share the 14 things I always do before a cruise vacation so I can leave my house prepared for a great time.

Verify my passport is up to date

You can't go on any cruise without the proper travel documents, so the first thing I do is double check my passport is valid.

Not only does my passport need to valid today, but it needs to be valid when I go on the cruise. Be sure to double check the expiration date is well beyond the cruise you just booked.

I'm a major proponent of booking cruises very early, and sometimes I'll book a cruise up to two years in advance.  So it's critical my passport will be valid.

You don't need to have a passport for most sailings from the United States if you're a U.S. citizen, but I'd recommend everyone get one anyway. 

If your passport is going to expire, get the renewal process going immediately. Most of the time it's quick, but you don't want to discover your passport is invalid for travel the week before your cruise begins.

Find the perfect shore excursion for each port

Like many people, I love to go on a cruise for the places I'm going to visit.  The last thing I want to do is show up to a port and try to wing it, especially if it's somewhere I've never been.

I think a lot of people get excited for the places their ship will visit, and there's a myriad of choices of what you can do in each one.

I'll start researching shore excursion options right around 6 months before the cruise begins.  It doesn't make a lot of sense to do that any earlier because a lot of tour options may not even be available to book yet.

Sometimes the choice of what to do is obvious.  If my cruise stops in Antigua, I'm automatically going to look for a great beach to visit.

But if my cruise goes to Hamburg, Germany or Halifax, Nova Scotia, I'm going to need to learn about what there is to do before I book a tour.

If you have no idea where to start, I'll google "best things to do in ____" or I'll go to YouTube and do a similar search.  Sometimes I'll add "day trip ideas in ____" to ensure the results are ideal for a cruise ship visitor.

Royal Caribbean offers its own assortment of shore excursions, and that can also be a starting point for finding a tour.

No matter which tour I book or if I book through the cruise line, I always make sure I have a plan in place before my ship sets sail.

Buy any cruise add-ons and start tracking the price

One truth within Royal Caribbean is it will cost less to buy a drink package, WiFi, shore excursion, or spa treatment if you pre-book it before the cruise begins.

I'll log into the Cruise Planner website right after the cruise begins and book anything I know I want, such as a specialty dining package.

There's two reasons I pre-book immediately.

First, it will be cheaper than if I wait to buy it on the ship. Royal Caribbean runs sales quite often, and I can always re-price them if there's a lower price later.

If you spot a lower price, just cancel your purchase and then re-book at the lower price.  It's simple and quite effective.

Second, things sell out way quicker than they used to.  This is probably because Royal Caribbean has gotten much better at alerting its customers to what you can pre-purchase.

Things that always sell out include:

• Shore excursions
• Dining packages
• Royal Railway reservations
• Cabanas at Perfect Day at CocoCay or Labadee

It's a good idea to book what you know you need and think you need.  You can always cancel any of it up until a couple days before the cruise begins.

Make my dining arrangements

Before I step aboard my cruise ship, I want my dinner plans to be in place so I'm not scrambling for where to eat later.

If you booked My Time Dining, then you'll want to make reservations ahead of time in the app or website.

Thanks to the update in Royal Caribbean's dining packages, you can pre-book restaurants.

Buy a travel insurance plan

No matter if I go on a cruise or someone on my team does, we always sail with travel insurance.

You can buy a travel insurance plan immediately after you book a cruise, and it's a solid investment to protect you and your family for unforeseen situations.

In all reality, you probably won't need the insurance, but it's so helpful if you do need it.  And considering travel insurance for one trip is fairly inexpensive, I think it's well worth buying.

Join a roll call

For any cruise longer than a weekend, I'll join a roll call for that sailing.

There's almost always a Facebook group for each sailing, and it's a way to not only meet people on your cruise, but learn helpful information along the way.

The truth about any Facebook group for a sailing is you're going to encounter know-it-alls, complete newbies, wrong information, and fun stories.  But it's worth it simply for the opportunity to see what others are planning, be alerted to changes quickly, and otherwise get excited for the cruise.

In addition, you can join one of the Royal Caribbean Blog roll calls and virtually meet people on your sailing.

Check the dress codes

There will be suggestions of what to wear most evenings in the Main Dining Room, and you should check what they are before you sail.

Don't get too wrapped up in dress codes, because they're suggestions and rarely enforced.  But it can be a lot of fun to get dressed up on a cruise.

While I think the days of people wearing black tie clothing is passé, so many families love to get matching outfits to take photos onboard.

Or if you're sailing over a holiday, now is the time to get that embarrassing St. Patrick's Day beer belly shirt that my neighbor Kenny loves to wear.

Buy all those things on Amazon for my trip I said I'd get

If you're like me, you read a blog post or watch a video about how helpful a certain travel accessory or item is to have and think, "I should get one for my next cruise."

Well, now is that time!

I've left for too many cruises to realize at the airport or hotel I forgot to bring that one thing I wanted to try.

There are all sorts of essentials to bring on a cruise, so consider this your reminder to actually buy them.

Go to the bank to get cash

I'll go to the bank about a week before my cruise begins to have a certain amount of cash with me.

I never have cash in my everyday life because I rely on credit cards, but cash is useful on a cruise.

There are a few times it comes in handy:

• Tipping porters in the cruise terminal
• Gambling in the casino
• Taxis in port
• Tipping bartenders and waiters

How much cash you need really depends on your cruising style.  There is an ATM machine onboard if you truly underestimate your needs.

Complete online check-in

As soon as you can check-in for your cruise online, you should do it.

Royal Caribbean opens the check-in window opens 45 days before a sailing.

First and foremost, you can get a check-in time slot for the time to arrive at the cruise terminal. While check-in times are rarely enforced these days, it's still worth getting one.

Then, you should complete all the steps in the check-in process by using the Royal Caribbean app.  

Completing check-in online saves you time later in the terminal.  When I get to the terminal, I don't want to waste time standing around. I want to get on the ship!

Plus, it might get you a faster way onto the ship!

Add my SetSail pass to my wallet

After I complete online check-in, I add the SetSail pass to my Apple Wallet.

I learned this lesson the hard way a few times, where inexplicably the SetSail pass doesn't load on embarkation day within the Royal Caribbean app.

It's a weird bug, but it happens. But if I have the SetSail pass added to my digital wallet, it works every single time. Plus, it's faster to load when I need to show it.

Pre-book shows

Royal Caribbean allows passengers to book select shows on Icon, Oasis, or Quantum Class cruise ships before the sailing and it's totally free.

This allows you to get into a specific performance at a certain time and it makes planning your evenings a lot easier.

Plus, most shows will sell out and you'd have to wait in the standby line if you don't have a reservation.

You can usually book shows up to 30 days before the cruise begins from the Cruise Planner or Royal Caribbean app.

Watch a video ship tour

Whether I've been on the ship or not, I'll watch a cruise ship video tour on YouTube in the days before the cruise begins.

Part of the rationale is to learn about what the ship offers, and it's also to just get excited about the trip.

We have a lot of full ship tours on the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel, each of which provides visuals of the ship and detailed commentary about everything to expect.

Print luggage tags

Last, but not least, I'll print out luggage tags and affix them to my luggage.

Luggage tags are necessary for getting your bags delivered to your cabin.  You give them to the porters and they take them onto the ship.

You can print the luggage tags by logging onto Royal Caribbean's site and accessing your online cruise documents.

Royal Caribbean has made it easier than ever to prove your casino losses to the IRS, but it's also a sobering reminder for some cruisers.

Casinos on cruise ships are required to report significant winnings to the IRS, which has an impact on income taxes.

In practical terms, that means a situation when you get a slot machine jackpot or a video poker machine payout worth $1,200 or more. When that happens, the casino staff pays you cash on the spot for your winnings and you fill out a form that goes back to the IRS, assuming you're an American citizen.

Of course, you're supposed to technically report all casino winnings to the government, and deduct all loses. In practice, most people don't track their losses in such a manner until they run into a jackpot.

There's a catch: if you can prove you lost more money than you won in the casino, it can help offset those gains on your taxes.

To make that easier, Royal Caribbean made a change this year to get those gambling records much faster.

Royal Caribbean tracks your play when you use your SeaPass card, which offers possibly significant rewards if you gamble enough.

The tracking they do also allows them to provide casino players with year-end win/loss statements.

As of January 31, 2025, Royal Caribbean guests can download win/loss statements from 2020 to 2024.

You can view your own win/loss statement by going to the Casino Royale website.

Royal Caribbean warns, "Please note that this is not an official tax form."

Cruisers surprised by the numbers

Almost immediately after the 2024 reports became available, people started sharing their results, with a combination of both shock and awe.

For many, it was a surprise in how much or little they lost.  Many cruisers were in disbelief at the number provided versus their expectations.

Reddit user btm24 shared a copy of their report, indicating they lost $14,673.22 over the course of the year in the casino.

According to this person, Royal Caribbean's report was "within 20% from my figures."

For that loss, they were able to get 11 "comped" cruises (48 total nights) for the year.  That means btm24 received offers from Royal Caribbean to sail for free on select cruises 11 times.  All they had to pay was taxes and fees.

According to btm24, depending on the exact offer from the casino, what's included differs.  They claim most of the time the offers were for ocean view balcony’s for two people at no cost.

The free sailings are one of the most lucrative benefits of gambling on a Royal Caribbean ship. 

As an example, btm24 reached the Prime level within Casino Royale's loyalty program.

"Every time we sail it’s like cutting off the head of [the] hydra, we get two sailing offers on top of our monthly offers, hear offers etc. It’s inane how decent the comp system is."

In their opinion, the rewards make up for the losses, "100% this is loss not win for me. But I enjoyed it and came in under budget so it all works out."

How much you have to gamble to start getting comp cruise offers?

If you're reading this and ready to start earning "free" cruises from the casino, there's a bit of a learning curve to understanding exactly how it all works.

The simplest strategy is to gamble enough on one sailing to earn enough points to qualify for instant certificates that you can redeem for a sailing.

Basically, you get 1 point for every $5 you wager (not win or lose, just wager) and if you get 400, 600, 1200, 2500, et al points, you can get turn around and book a cruise offer based on the list of sailings at each point threshold.

So yes, to earn 600 points, you'd have to roughly wager $3,000 in one sailing.

You can view the list of cruise tiers online with a clever hack, or wait until you get on the ship and then see the list at the casino host's desk.

While this strategy is easy to accomplish, it requires you to spend enough to get enough points to qualify for a sailing.

What most people want to know is how to get offered a free sailing from Royal Caribbean's casino simply for having gambled on past sailings.

It's important to note no one knows exactly how the truly free comp offers are given out.

At the very least, you need to have gambled some in a casino on a Royal Caribbean ship at some point in the past.

No one really knows exactly how many points and even if you gamble a lot, the rhyme or reason as to why one person gets a casino cruise comp offer and not someone else is elusive.

AB3reddit posted, "Low roller here. I have never made Prime and don’t think I’ve ever made more than 500 points in a single year, but for some reason they do offer me a wealth of the “monthly” free and BOGO cruise offers (mostly just Inside and Inside Guaranty cabins)."

Safety is the top priority on cruise ships, but one protocol might be a little surprising on Royal Caribbean's newest ship.

Utopia of the Seas has been sailing since summer 2024, and she's brought many innovations with her. Among them is this ship uses a more environmentally friendly fuel type, Liquified Natural Gas, or LNG.

The ship has a new dual-fuel engine, but Icon of the Seas was the first Royal Caribbean ship to begin using LNG.

On a recent sailing, passengers were informed of a refueling function that was to take place, and it meant all passengers had to comply with a strange request.

Refueling while at CocoCay

Cruise ships are kind of like airplanes in the sense they can be refueled just about anywhere.

On a recent sailing, Utopia of the Seas was set to be refueled while docked at Royal Caribbean's private island of Perfect Day at CocoCay.

This might seem odd to be refueled at a private island instead of the ship's homeport, but there's a logic to it.

Evidently refueling LNG takes many hours, and the cruise line does it at CocoCay because there's less impact on the ship's timeline.

The 236,473-gross-ton ship visits Perfect Day at CocoCay twice a week, because the ship only operates 3- and 4-night short Bahamas cruises.

Utopia is docked at CocoCay for more hours than in Port Canaveral, and that gives them more time to get it done. If they waited until the ship was back in Port Canaveral, there could be a delay in departing on time.

As part of the refueling process, passengers are informed they have to adhere to a few strict rules while it takes place.

First, there's no smoking at all allowed on any open deck. No outdoor smoking areas are open during refueling operations, and signs are posted to remind guests.

Second, all balconies and infinity verandas are closed and off limits during the refueling process.

That's a more impactful change considering passengers woudn't be able to use their balcony for much of the day.  However, there's a certain logic to it.

By electing refuel in CocoCay, Royal Caribbean is betting most passengers are off the ship anyway enjoying the beaches and pools of their island.  So it's less likely a passenger would want to or need to use their balcony.

The open decks of the ship, including the pools, are still open and functional.

A similar experience should be expected for Icon of the Seas when it gets refueled. And just like Utopia, Icon has received her supply of LNG while at CocoCay.

There was no change to Utopia's schedule, merely a functional need that coincided with the port day, similar to crew safety drills or other functions while in port.

LNG is a step towards the future

Cruise ships leveraging LNG is a move in the right direction, but it's not the ultimate solution for fuel needs.

LNG can reduce carbon emissions by about 30%, sulfur emissions to almost nothing, and nitrogen oxide emissions by about 85%.

Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, spoke last year on the work his cruise line is doing to be more environmentally friendly.

He explained Royal Caribbean's commitment and mindset regarding the environment, "Everything that we do is put through that lens of trying to be as sensible as we can buy new ships, for example; Icon, Utopia, Star."

When Royal Caribbean was working on plans for ships like Utopia or Icon, LNG was the best option at the time.

Cruise ships can be built in 18-12 months, but they take years to come to fruition. Icon of the Seas, for example, was conceived before 2016 and finally launched in 2024.

"When decisions are made on building ships, they're made with the information that's available at the time. And of course, the information at the time when we signed contracts to build ships is different from how it looks today," Mr. Bayley said. 

"In five years, how we do this is going to look different as well," Mr. Bayley continued.

To that point, he was blunt in admitting the fuel of the future isn't known yet.

"There is no magical fuel," Mr. Bayley said, and he believes "that's the formula for success in the future."

"Five to ten years ago, LNG was viewed as the solution to creating a more sustainable fuel. But now it's not considered the best option."

A better fuel isn't just a cruise ship problem, it's something the entire marine industry is investigating. 

"We are working diligently, not only as a company but [also] within the industry and within the larger sector of the maritime industry, which is vast."

Mr. Bayley indicated Royal Caribbean is committed to figuring out a sustainable answer, "I can assure you we're committed to that."

Happy weekend! We hope you are in the midst of a wonderful weekend full of things to do to pass the time between cruises.  We have a summary of all of this week's Royal Caribbean news in case you missed any of it!

Is it as bad as you might think to go on one of Royal Caribbean's oldest and smallest cruise ships?

Matt was reluctant to try Enchantment of the Seas because it lacked so many things to do found on newer and bigger ships, but he went on a 4-night sailing to give it a try.

With the right mindset, he found Enchantment was better than he expected and it's a good reminder about the value of these ships.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean moves up inaugural sailing for Star of the Seas and adds two new sailings
• Much loved Royal Caribbean cruise ship Captain retires with surprise party
• Celebrity Cruises will start offering river cruises in 2027
• One-of-a-kind ex-Royal Caribbean cruise ship is heading to the scrapyard
• 10 New river cruise ships ordered for Celebrity Cruises – what we know so far
• I went on the cruise ship that gets lots of hate
• Photo tour of spacious balcony cabin on Enchantment of the Seas
• Behind Royal Caribbean's Next Big Bet: Private Islands and Beach Clubs
• I sailed on an older Royal Caribbean ship and a newer one. The big changes show how much focus there is on food
• I went to the beach club in Cozumel, Mexico all the locals always rave about
• Golden Retriever has been living on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship for a year

Video: I put Royal Caribbean's cheap, oldest cruise ship to the test

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — I put Royal Caribbean's cheap, oldest cruise ship to the test — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean delays new deployments again

The deployment schedule for new sailings has been changed, resulting in needing to wait a few more weeks.

The change affects three region's 2026-2027 cruise deployments: short Caribbean, seasonal Caribbean, and Australia.

An updated schedule is now available, with the first set coming out later this week.

10 commandments of a great cruise vacation

While some travel advice may be specific to a situation, there are certain things everyone should do for a great cruise vacation.

You don't have to plan out every minute of the trip, but it does behoove you to adhere to a core set of important advice to avoid mistakes later.

In thinking about the breadth of cruise advice I can provide, I came up with the 10 most important cruise tips possible that apply to just about everyone. 

13 things Royal Caribbean has learned about Icon of the Seas in its first year

In the one year Icon of the Seas has been cruising, Royal Caribbean has studied every aspect of it to learn what's worked well.

Royal Caribbean's Product Development team has analyzed guest feedback, and conducted research on the ship to determine the important lessons learned.

These results are being incorporated into future ships, as well as being helpful to someone going on Icon soon.

Royal Caribbean cruise prices are rising—why you should book now

Royal Caribbean reported its fourth quarter earnings to Wall Street this week, and it illustrated why you want to book a cruise now instead of waiting.

Not only did Royal Caribbean experience fantastic growth in the last quarter, but they anticipate demand going up again in 2025 along with prices.

If you're someone that considered waiting to see where prices go, it's quite likely the cost of a cruise will only go up this year.

I used a casino instant rewards certificate to book a 4-night cruise on to Mexico aboard Enchantment of the Seas, a 2,730-guest ship that joined Royal Caribbean's fleet in 1997.

I was surprised that a balcony cabin reward was available through the casino for two reasons: Enchantment has few balcony cabins, and my play wasn't very high when I got the certificate. Nonetheless, I was pleased.

One downside to this was I had to take a guarantee cabin assignment, which means the cruise line chose my room.

It took a month or two, but I finally got my cabin assigned. I was never worried the cruise would be overbooked, but it probably took longer than I expected.

I was assigned cabin 7036, which was on the ship's port side (left) and directly off the forward elevator bank. I didn't hear any noise the entire time, not even from neighboring guests that I shared a connecting door with.

My SeaPass card was waiting for me outside my cabin once staterooms were ready for passengers to get to their cabins at 1pm on embarkation day. 

I have no idea why there was a birthday magnet on my door when I arrived, but I decided to leave it to make it easier to find my room. 

When I opened the door, I was impressed by how big the room felt.

As you walk in, there is a giant closet on your left.  There are many hangers you can use, along with ledges places to put your bulky items.

I opted to use the closet as my dirty laundry area, which was helped by bringing a laundry hamper.  It's one of my favorite cabin hacks for keeping the room cleaner and more manageable.

The main area of the room had a king-size bed that can be split into two, if you prefer.  I kept it together because I was cruising solo and liked having the big bed to myself.

I was impressed by how comfortable the bed was, and how well I slept every night. 

There were two small nightstands on each side of the bed, but no power outlets nearby.  Enchantment is an old Royal Caribbean ship, and convenient power outlets really didn't become popular on cruise ships until just a few years ago.

A TV is mounted across from the bed and has a small adjustable arm to angle it.

I could watch live satellite television, movies, TV series, or the Bridge Cam, which shows a view of the front of the ship. I rarely watch television on a cruise, but I'll sometimes turn it on before I go to sleep.

My room also had a sitting area with a full couch that had a pull out sofa and an oval-shaped coffee table.

According to the cruise line, this room can accommodate up to 3 guests, and the sofa bed is how that works. I never opened it up during my cruise, but I had a passing thought to sleep there one night just to mix things up.

I believe there was supposed to be a piece of art on the wall above the sofa because there were mounting positions, but it was missing. Not a problem, just an observation.

There was a vanity, a mirror, and a cushioned chair across from the couch.

The vanity has the only power outlets in this particular room, and it's where I would do my daily work for this site from.  I brought a USB hub so I could keep my various devices charged. (Contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use)

One thing you won't find in a cabin on Enchantment of the Seas is a mini-fridge. It's just not an option on Vision Class ships.

Instead, there are lots of drawers on each side of the vanity.  There's also additional storage space up above.

This is where you'll find the room safe.  The safe was clearly used and abused, as the face plate was half off, but it worked just fine.

I thought there was much more storage space than I expected, and between the drawers and closet, I think three people could easily keep all their belongings organized and out of suitcases for a sailing.

The covered balcony measured 39 square feet and had plenty of room for two people.

It wasn't the largest balcony by any means, but I really enjoyed being able to come out here and take in the view or ocean breeze.

Since it was January, it wasn't particularly hot out. That's good because it was comfortable, but some mornings it was chilly with the ocean breeze.

The bathroom was bigger than I expected for a ship of this age.

It looked like the bathroom I'd expect to find on a slightly newer ship, such as Voyager of the Seas or Freedom of the Seas.

It wasn't until I visited my friend's cabin and saw how small his bathroom was, that I realized mine was a substantial upgrade. He was in an inside room, and their bathroom was tiny.

Regardless of which cabin you're in on Enchantment, the one problem I have with the bathroom are the shower curtains.

Certain Royal Caribbean ships have shower curtains instead of a glass or plastic shower divider, and these curtains are notoriously problematic because they cling to you as you shower.

The shower area is a confined space to begin with, and I don't like the idea of the curtain touching me as I'm trying to clean myself.

Alas, it's not something that would ruin my cruise, but a known issue on older, smaller ships.

I posted a video of this on social media, and some cruisers recommended leaving the curtain open while I shower to avoid the problem.  According to them, there is a drain in the bathroom floor and the water would drain there instead.

When you're booked in a standard cabin category (i.e. not a suite), you have the choice of getting your cabin cleaned once a day, either in the morning or evening.

I almost always choose the evening service so I can sleep in or just be not disturbed when I'm working in the morning.

One day I forgot to remove my "do not disturb" magnet from my door after taking an afternoon nap, and as a result, my room wasn't cleaned that day.

To my surprise, my stateroom attendant went out of his way to clean it the next morning after I departed the room.

I tried to leave my cabin as much as I could to not feel confined in the room. Enchantment may not have the most activities, but there was a lot going on, and I enjoyed the fun things this ship had.

Despite the shower curtain issue, the stateroom had impressive storage, a fantastic bed, and a lovely private balcony.

I think this kind of a cabin is a room I'd love to stay in again, especially given how much space there was.

I loved having the outdoor space, especially considering how comfortable the weather was during the peak of winter in the Caribbean.

The differences between a brand new cruise ship and one that was built almost 30 years ago is quite stark.

In the past few months, I sailed on an old Royal Caribbean cruise ship and two ships that launched in the past year. You can't help but compare them, even though their approach to cruising is quite different.

Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas began cruising in 1997 just before the era of mega ships began. 

The cruise industry was about to undergo a massive shift in focus, as the launch of Voyager of the Seas in 1999 and Oasis of the Seas in 2010 redefined what the public expected from a cruise ship.  Then in 2024, Icon of the Seas raised the bar yet again, and for some people, it's difficult to go back to the older ships.

I recently sailed on Enchantment after spending my summer on both Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas.  Each of these ships entered service in 2024, and both of them offer an overwhelming amount of places onboard to relax, eat, explore, and watch. 

Big, new ships are quintessentially what cruising is about today, with so much of the focus of what you can do onboard.  Royal Caribbean is very much in tune with what consumers are looking for in a vacation, and they've built ships to rival land resorts.

Meanwhile, aging ships like Enchantment of the Seas are still sailing and while they don't have nearly as much to do onboard, they're fun ships for a relaxing trip away from work.

Activities were much more varied on Icon of the Seas

One thing you'll quickly notice on a new cruise ship is just how much there is to do onboard.

Icon of the Seas is split up into different areas, with different venues in each one.  It's practically impossible to feel bored, as the line packs every day with activities and events. There are game shows, live music, dance parties, and of course the top deck attractions that capture everyone's attention.

Icon of the Seas is a popular choice for families because of how much Royal Caribbean targets for children and their parents. Naturally, that means there will be lots of kids onboard.

The Surfside neighborhood alone is a great example of this, as the whole section gravitates towards younger children. There's a carousel, buffet serving kid-friendly food, splash park, pool, and more. It's really no surprised there were a lot of families onboard.

Up on the pool deck, there are multiple pools, an entire water park, surf simulator, mini-golf course, and an adrenaline experience that is kind of like a ropes course.

You won't find most of these things on a ship like Enchantment, but it has the basics.  It has a main pool, adults-only pool, and lots of loungers.

Offering all these flashy activities on Icon is going to naturally attract families in the same way a theme park would capture the attention of families more than a national park might. It's hard to resist the glitz of everything on Icon.

Enchantment has a relaxing pool deck with much more space to spread out

One thing I really liked about Enchantment of the Seas was how inviting and spread out their pool deck felt.

It has one main pool, and a lot of deck space around it.  This means you can easily find chairs on either deck of the pool decks, and it felt more sedate compared to Icon's pool deck.

Chair hogs are present on all cruise ships, regardless of size, but I think the fact Enchantment's pool deck was a bit more serene, it helps a bit with that.

Plus, I really think the pool bar scene is superior on Enchantment.  Between the enormous pool bar located in the shade, and the Oasis Bar that faces the ocean, they're great spots to enjoy a cocktail or beer while at sea.

The difference in prices are eye opening

Probably the biggest difference between Enchantment and Icon will be the price to go on each.

Cruise prices are on the rise thanks to record demand, and there is premium pricing to go on a ship like Icon of the Seas.

As an example, if you wanted to go on Icon for spring break in 2026, an oceanview balcony cabin would cost $2,247.80 per person for a week-long cruise on Icon.  

An oceanview balcony on Enchantment would cost just $997.60 per person for a 5-night cruise.

No matter which week you compare prices, you're going to see a stark price difference between these ships.  Families on a tight budget will get more bang for their buck on an older ship, even if there's compromise on what you can do onboard.

Many more dining choices on Icon, including extra cost restaurants

If there was an area of Enchantment of the Seas I was disappointed with, it was their dining variety.

Enchantment has just one specialty restaurant and a small Windjammer buffet.  It was sufficient, and I didn't go hungry.  But I missed having more choices.

Meanwhile, Icon of the Seas has 27 places to eat, including 12 extra cost restaurants. 

Some might question the need of extra cost restaurants, but there are so many on new ships because clearly cruisers are buying it up. 

It's debatable what's necessary, but I think having more choice is always a good thing.  Some cruises I'm quite content eating in the buffet or enjoying my favorite dishes in the Main Dining Room.  But I like to step out and have sushi, or grab nachos and a burger at the sports bar.

Icon even has a food hall that's included in your cruise fare and it's one of my favorite places to eat on any cruise ship.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Empire Supper Club, which is about as fancy a dinner experience you'll find on a cruise ship with jazz music, fine dining, and exquisite service.

While dining upcharges will add to your vacation budget, it's a factor a lot of people look for in a cruise ship.

You'll find fun bars on both ships

What would a cruise ship be without drinks?

There are bars throughout both ships, and I don't think you can be disappointed in the drinking opportunities on either ship.

Enchantment has a great pool bar with Oasis Bar, but I like its Schooner Bar even better. It's massive and actually has a nautical theme, unlike the one on Icon.

The Viking Crown Lounge bar on Enchantment has a stunning view of the top deck and ocean around you.

Icon has better bars that include entertainment, such as the English Pub or Dueling Pianos.

I'm also a sucker for the Swim & Tonic pool because it has a swim-up bar.

Both ships have enticing drink packages you can purchase, but be sure to buy them before the cruise begins to save a lot of money.

The shows on Icon are incredible

Another area where there's simply no comparison is the onboard entertainment.

Icon has three different theaters, with each one a full production show that will take your breath away.

The Wizard of Oz is the probably the top show to see on Icon, and it's a wonderful production true to the 1939 film. It has all the songs you know, a beautiful production, and talented cast.

The aquashow in the indoor Aquatheater is the kind of thing you'll take a lot of video to show friends at home because it's such high energy and you have to remind yourself a few times "I'm watching this on a cruise ship!".

Then you have the ice skating show that features skaters who have competed on the world stage.  

Enchantment has a production show in its theater, but it feels like a high school medley compared to what Icon has.

But both ships had better-than-expected cabins

I'll always prefer a cabin on a new ship for the aesthetics, but I was pleasantly surprised how nice my balcony cabin was on Enchantment too.

No matter which ship you sail on, the stateroom experience is more similar than not, especially in standard rooms.

In terms of amenities, they are very close. So it's really the look and feel of the room that stands out between an old ship and a new ship.

You will find many more electric outlets on Icon, along with USB plugs too.  A ship like Enchantment that was built in the '90s just wouldn't have had those options.

My favorite feature of any cabin on Icon is the fact there is a seat in the shower, something that bucks the decades long trend of having just a tube for a shower.

How much you value activities and your budget make each an obvious choice

I like both cruise ships for different reasons, and I think you'll gravitate towards one or the other depending on what your needs are.

Enchantment lacks the exciting family activities, variety of dining, and excellent shows, but it makes up for it in a great price.  Plus, it's the kind of cruise you can go on to chill.

Icon of the Seas is my favorite cruise ship right now because of how much it packs in, and I greatly value variety. I can't get over how much this ship has changed what I expect from a cruise ship, and it's the place I'd easily go back again and again with my family.

For many people, the price is what drives them in one direction or another.  It's hard to overlook the price gap between a new and old ship.

If you don't have kids and want to save money, Enchantment will win every time.  Even if you have kids, I think you'd find more value in taking them on a smaller ship because there's just enough to keep them occupied.

But if you can afford Icon, it's an incredible vacation that is sure to make a lot of memories along the way.

I've done both, and I'll continue to sail on both in the future.  But each has its strengths that will probably pull you in one direction.

I thought I knew all the great beach spots to visit in Cozumel until I kept seeing people recommend a beach club I'd never heard of before.

Cozumel is known for a great beach day, and I've sampled plenty of them.

On a recent visit to this island in Mexico, I wanted to try something different and I was enticed by the overwhelming recommendations to try Buccanos.

I joined a Facebook group that's dedicated to all things Cozumel, and I was surprised by how many people consistently recommend Buccanos over places I had heard of (and been to) many times before.

Part of the reason I didn't know about Buccanos is that it's located on the north end of the island, closer to the hotels.  Most cruise ship visitors opt to go to the beaches on the southern side of the island.

But it seemed all the recommendations were coming from people that live in Cozumel, and that caught my attention.

Getting there takes a few minutes longer

If you're visiting Cozumel on a cruise ship, a taxi will get you to any beach club.

Except for Del Mar Latino Beach Club or El Cid, you're probably taking a taxi to find a beach spot. 

To get to the north side of town, the taxi will go through downtown and past the airport.  There's not usually much traffic, so it took us about 15 minutes each way.  The cost of the taxi for 3 of us was $20 each way.

Buccanos is pay as you go instead of all-inclusive

The first thing I noticed was unlike so many of the popular beach clubs in Couzmel, it wasn't all-inclusive.

All-inclusive pricing is great if you're a big eater and drinker, but sometimes I'm not in that mood.  Plus, I feel my kids never eat or drink enough to break even on their cost.

The entry cost is 400 mx per person, which is about $20.  That cost goes towards any food or drink you order while there.

There's a pool and beach, with seating around both.  Most of the seating is centered near the beach, but the distance between the beach and pool is perhaps 20 steps.

Seating is on a first-come basis. I arrived right at opening, so I could have any spot. Because we were there in January when it wasn't very hot, the club never got too busy and there were seats available.

The vibe is very much chill and enjoy being on the beach

Very quickly it became apparent that this place was all about relaxing.

Every beach club in Cozumel that I've been to has a different style to it, and Buccanos is more mellow than others. There are no inflatables to climb in the ocean, there's no DJ or party music, and it's not a massive operation either.

Kids are allowed here, and the few that visited on the same day I did were in the pool because the surf was a little rough.

There's waiters who come by your chair periodically to see if you need anything, but it's very much about relaxing and enjoying being in or around the water.

The food quality was amazing

If there's one thing I was really impressed by at Buccanos, it was the presentation of the food offered.

Everything is priced a la carte, so you only pay for what you order.  I started off with guacamole, and because I was feeling peckish, I also ordered the avocado toast.

Most beach clubs have decent food, but it's not going to be sit down restaurant quality.  This was served as if I was at a resort restaurant.

Both plates were huge and well beyond what I expected in terms of quality.

We also ordered a bucket of beers to share, along with a bloody mary to have in the morning.

The prices aren't super cheap, but at least the food quality matches what you pay.  I've been to resort day passes in other countries where you definitely overpay for what you get.

At lunch, we opted to eat at the nearby restaurant instead of at the beach.  This was because the bird situation was too annoying for my taste.  If you turn your back for a second, a bird will swoop in to get your food.

Since we were in Mexico, we ordered fish tacos and shrimp/beef burritos.

Once again, great quality of food.  Our lunch order took a while to come out, but I suspect it was because everyone else was trying to eat lunch at the same time too and the food isn't mass produced.

In total, we paid $132 before tip for 3 people to enjoy a bucket of beers, one cocktail, guacamole, avocado toast, tacos, 2 burritos, and a soda.

Buccanos is a good spot for a beach day without much else

I enjoyed our visit to Buccanos, and quickly saw what all those locals liked about it.

To be fair, I think the locals prefer Buccanos because they can drop in for a bite to eat, beer, and sit by the water.  Perhaps they aren't investing all day like one might at another beach club.

Without a doubt, the food quality was better at Buccanos than any other beach club I've been to in Cozumel.  

The fact it's priced a la carte means you could stop in for half a day, allowing some time downtown to shop and then head to the beach to cool off.

If you're looking for a party vibe, adults-only experience, or lots for kids to do, this isn't the spot for you. This is where you want to go to have beer, admire the view of the ocean, and top it off with a great lunch.

I've been taking my kids on cruise ships since they were young enough to cruise, and it's taught me a few lessons about which cabin is the best.

Going on vacation anywhere as a family presents its own sets of challenges, but I've found cruise ships to be the best way for our family to get away.  As the kids have grown up, the ship experience has evolved to match our needs.

Over the years I've booked us in different cruise rooms for different reasons and at this point, my wife and I agree there's only option that works for us and our kids and it's definitely not stuffing all of us into one room, especially the cheapest cabin I can find.

I know exactly why parents would lean towards booking the lowest category room as a way to keep costs down. But after staying with my kids in small inside rooms, massive suites, and a few in-between, it's become clear to me going cheap in one room is never worth it.

Based on my experiences, here are a couple of the rooms I've tried and the one I'd recommend

All of us in an inside room

When my kids were younger, I'd usually book a small, interior room because it was cheap.

You can book these cabins that have no windows or balcony and can sleep up to four people.  There's almost always beds that come down from the ceiling or wall for the third and fourth passenger.

These cabins are tight fits, as most inside rooms come in at about 164 square feet of space. A standard interior cabin on Icon of the Seas is 156 square feet, or 178 square feet if you move up to a spacious interior cabin.

If you're cruising with toddlers, sure, a small inside room works fine, but it's incredible how much space the pack 'n play, stroller, and all the baby supplies take up.

We used to joke about putting the crib in the closet if we had a spacious interior room because it would get a lot of things out of the way. Don't worry, we never did.

Besides trying not to trip over everything and everyone in the room, the sleeping situation is less than ideal. When your kids are very young, we felt we had to keep the room quiet and dark when the children were ready for bed, and then that meant my wife and I "playing the quiet game".  

As the kids got older, the bigger issue arose and that's sharing one bathroom and one shower. Kids are okay with this when they are young, but as they get older, they seem to take an hour each in there.

I get why parents would choose to put everyone in one room to save money, especially if you're trying to cruise on a budget.

However, families with older kids (especially teens) should avoid trying to cram everyone into an interior cabin because of the lack of space and privacy.

A big suite

While a small interior room is a no-go, what about a big suite? Surely all that extra space would solve the problem.

I thought this was the solution when I took my family on Icon of the Seas for a summer cruise, and we booked the Icon Loft Suite.

This is a massive two-level suite that even has two bathrooms. We're still sharing the suite with my kids, but they're on the lower level on the pull out sofa and my wife and I upstairs on the bed.

This approach did solve the sharing a bathroom problem we had with all of us in an interior room, but we're still sharing one room.

My oldest child is a teenager and the younger one is almost there, and both of them love to sleep in and have their privacy.

I don't think book a mega suite is a bad idea for families, but we definitely overpaid for that second bathroom and extra space. This suite cost $5,000 per night, and it wasn't the ideal solution in the grand scheme of things.

All of us enjoyed the perks of staying in a big suite, such as priority embarkation, access to suite only areas, and the services of the Royal Genie.  Heck, the Genie alone was arguably worth the cost.

And there are other suites that have two bedrooms and two bathrooms, such as the Aquatheater Suite, but they're still super expensive too.

Connecting staterooms offer privacy and plenty of space

For the money, the best choice for a family is to book two connecting rooms.

We usually book connecting balcony cabins, but we've stayed in connecting interior cabins too.

When we went on Liberty of the Seas this summer to Bermuda, I booked us in connecting balcony cabins.

The reason why connecting rooms work so well is it addresses the three major things families need in their cruise accommodations: space, privacy, and value.

Having two separate cabins means you're not climbing over as many people, and even the smallest cabins are manageable with just two people in there.

No matter how old your kids are, there's enough space there too.

Privacy is also perfect with connecting rooms as you have a common door between the rooms.  When the kids want to sleep in, play a game, or call their friends, they have that.  Plus, they have their own beds and aren't sleeping on a pull out sofa.

And the second cabin comes with its own full bathroom, so there's less fighting over the shower.  Notice I said "less" because the kids still fight, but at least it's not among the four of us.

Booking two cabins is usually much cheaper than a suite. In fact, booking two rooms is not as expensive as you might think, especially if you book connecting interior rooms.

When we have connecting balcony rooms, we can not only open and close the connecting door inside the room, but also the balcony dividers. You can't do this on all Royal Caribbean ships, but most support it now.

Compared to trying to put all of us in a single inside room, the extra cost was completely worth the price increase.

It's been one year since the biggest cruise ship in the world debuted and changed everything about cruising.

Icon of the Seas celebrated her one year anniversary, and it's the perfect opportunity for Royal Caribbean to take stock of what worked and what stood out on this ship.

Icon caught the attention of just about everyone. Her immense size and equally impressive new features showed off all the hard work that was put into a cruise ship that was designed from the keel up with all new ideas.

During a webinar, Jennifer Goswami, Director, Product Development for Royal Caribbean, shared the best things about Icon, and even a few ideas that will make it onto Icon's sister ship that will launch later this year.

Ms. Goswami was a key member of the team that designed Icon of the Seas, and she's spent a lot of time interviewing passengers to get a better sense of what's worked.

Biggest wins so far on Icon of the Seas

In thinking about what Royal Caribbean looks at from concept to finish, one big success with Icon has been its ability to provide views of the ocean.

A complaint on the Oasis Class ships is that it's very inward facing, and Royal Caribbean wanted Icon to be different.

"What we love about Icon really is the the ability for our guests to feel connected to the ocean. That was the number one thing that came in through our research that guests wanted to feel connected to the ocean," Ms. Goswami said.

That means more windows to the ocean on the Royal Promenade, as well as adding more pools to the ship.

She also said the addition of the Empire Supper Club resonated with passengers, "We thought we loved dinner and a show, but what about dinner with the show?".

Hot spots on Icon of the Seas

One thing Royal Caribbean has discovered in the year since the ship's debut, is certain areas definitely have become popular with passengers and they've seen more people gravitating towards these areas.

She pointed out they designed the ship to appeal to everyone for different reasons, and that spreads people out, "some people want Thrill Island, some people want chill [in] Hideaway. Some people want to spend the day in the Royal Promenade at Pearl Cafe."

She also pointed out it can depend on the time of day, "Overlook is a very calm place during the day, but the AquaDome is exciting at night, so Icon really is what you want to make of it."

What would you change on Icon

When asked what she would change, Ms. Goswami didn't have something she'd want to change on Icon, but thinks there are ways to make it even better on the subsequent Icon Class ships to come.

Royal Caribbean will launch the second Icon Class ship, Star of the Seas, later this year and there are orders for at least two more ships beyond that.

"I'm not sure that I want to change anything on Icon, but I want to make sure that everyone has that same wow feeling of their first time on Icon on every other ship that comes out in the class."

"So you will continue to see an evolution of different venues, different concepts, different ideas throughout the rest of the Icon class, but not because we want to change it, because we want to bring you more."

Dining venues biggest hits

Icon of the Seas has a lot of dining choices, but which ones stand out the most?

Ms. Goswami thinks the complimentary food changes on Icon have been a tremendous success, "We did a lot of work around the complimentary dining space for icon, so AquaDome Market has been a home run for us, really kind of giving the option to explore different kinds of foods."

She mentioned 4 specific restaurants as the ones that she thinks guests love

• AquaDome Market
• Pearl Cafe
• Izumi Teppanyaki
• Empire Supper Club

Lessons learned from Ultimate Family Townhouse

One interesting anecdote from the webinar was Royal Caribbean's Product Development team has regular meetings with the Royal Genies on Icon of the Seas to internalize guest feedback.

"I actually have a weekly call with the Genies. Every week they share incredible feedback across the Star Class suites, but also across the entire ship," she shared.

One specific piece of feedback that has resulted in a change on Star of the Seas is the over-the-top family suite, known as the Ultimate Family Townhouse.

Genies said the kids were basically sleeping everywhere in the room, not just in the beds, "we started to think maybe they're crowded. "

"What you'll see on Star is that we've been able to adjust the configuration of the sleeping floor, deck eight, a little bit more to give everybody a little bit more space."

There are also tweaks to some of the design features within the suite.

What changes are being made to Surfside on Star of the Seas?

Royal Caribbean quickly discovered that the family-centric neighborhood onboard was being utlized by older kids too.

"We thought that Surfside would be for families six and younger," Ms. Goswami explained. "However, what we're seeing is that it's about kids ten and under, which is great."

As a result, Surfside on Star of the Seas will be altered to appeal to older kids too.

• More features added to Splashaway Bay
• Completely redesigned the Playscape to make it taller and in certain areas, more challenging, for 7 to 10 year olds
• Adventure Ocean redesign

Another big change is the teen space because of feedback, "one of the things that I think surprised us the most was they asked for less technology. They wanted things that are more like Playmakers, like pool tables and foosball," she explained.

She thinks it's because teens want opportunities to interact without having to formally introduce themselves, "that's very human, you want to just connect with people doing an activity. So we will start to see a lot of changes in the teen space there as well."

The best change on Icon

When asked what was the biggest risk and biggest success, Ms. Goswami did not hesitate to say it was the destination elevators.

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

"There's been nothing but positive feedback from destination elevators on Icon and getting places faster."

Changes to the Pearl

You can also expect the focal point of the ship to get better on Star of the Seas.

The Pearl is a giant piece of art in the middle of the Royal Promenade and the first thing you'll see when you get onboard.

According to Goswami, the Pearl ranked as the second highest rated impressive feature on the ship behind only the AquaDome.

"We weren't fully able to calculate how much light penetration would come through The Pearl. So we are saying for Star, The Pearl is getting pearlier. We are making it so much more light inside. We're adding more audio."

She hinted we can expect The Pearl to get more updates on each new Icon Class ship.

Everyone loves Rover

An undeniable success on Icon has been the introduction of the family dog onboard.

Rover is a Golden Retriever that lives on Icon of the Seas, and is a kind of mascot for the ship.

"Rover is truly the biggest hit on icon and it is something," Ms. Goswami shared.

"We wanted to humanize Icon beyond what we could deliver from an infrastructure perspective. And in walks Rover and everything changes."

There will be another dog that lives on Star of the Seas, named Sailor, and the puppy is expected to be born within the next two weeks.

Star of the Seas progress report

Ms. Goswami shared a few more updates on Star of the Seas as we prepare for the ship's launch in August.

• AquaDome Market will have a few new fresh stalls
• New concept in Supper Club with Chicago theme
• Back to the Future: The Musical

Star of the Seas is 85% complete from a construction perspective.

"Within the next two next two weeks, our start up crews will start to arrive in Finland, where she is being built, and really start to operationalize this ship. We are doing final inspections so it is only a matter of time. Star is almost there."

Feedback on infinite balcony

One big change Royal Caribbean made to Icon of the Seas was the addition of the infinite balcony cabin, which has been a bit controversial among passengers.

According to Ms. Goswami, her team has interviewed passengers on Icon throughout the duration of the cruise, and their opinion changes as the cruise goes on.

"Some guests tell us on day one, oh, we wish we had a balcony, but every family has told us almost everyone that by day three they are never going back to a balcony."

She thinks that extra space you get with the infinite balcony has won them over in the end.

Multiple teen spots?

One additional piece of feedback Royal Caribbean has gotten is giving teens a giant dedicated space isn't necessarily what teens want.

"Teens told us told us they don't love having a large, dedicated space. They want a space to meet up, and then they want to roam around the entire ship."

"So we are really thinking through, do we have more than one spot or what that looks like?"

Jen's favorite venue on Icon

Ms. Goswami rounded out the webinar with what is her favorite place on Icon of the Seas.

She quickly pointed out Bubbles, the walk-up champagne window in Central Park.

"What is more fun than walking up to a window and getting champagne?" she joked.

She also really loves the Crown's Edge attraction because it's a genuinely intense offering.