What's the secret to a great first cruise? Knowing what to do, where to go, and what not to do seems to be the answer.
Royal Caribbean is experiencing a renaissance right now with unparalleled demand for its ships. In just the first quarter of 2025, 2.2 million people went on a cruise vacation with a Royal Caribbean Group brand ship. That's up 9% over the same time last year.
In fact, over 60% of people that cruise are new to it, and all of this means a lot of people are giving cruising a try.
Understandably, many new cruisers want to know what to do to have a great time. Most travelers have this concern, and it leads them to sites like this to find answers.
Reddit user NinjaPenny wrote a glowing review of their first cruise, which was on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas, and they credit looking up information as the difference maker.
Utopia of the Seas is the newest Royal Caribbean cruise ship, and it's also the second biggest ship in the world. Utopia will slide to the #3 spot later this summer when Star of the Seas debuts.
"I'm glad I did my research"
The overarching theme from NinjaPenny's post is researching what to do made a difference.
They traveled with 15 people, and says they all had a great time.
"It was my first time cruising and let me tell you, I would do it again!" was posted at the start of the review.
I've read plenty of posts like this across Reddit and the internet, but I think the fact they highlighted the research they did was important.
"I'm glad I did my research. I felt prepared but even then I didn't know what to expect. The ship far exceeded my expectations."
Considering how much a cruise costs, it's critical to doing even a basic level of research to have the right approach and expectations.
Cruises are a very personalized experience. You could sit in your room and eat just cruise ship pizza for a week, whereas someone else might be in a suite, eat at specialty restaurants, or never visit the pool.
Many of the choices you make in booking the ship and then onboard are rooted in personal preferences, which is why people can have vastly different experiences.
What they looked up ahead of time
I was curious what sort of things NinjaPenny researched exactly that benefitted them on the cruise.
The first thing was learning about the ship itself, "I researched the ship, what was included, etc."
"I also researched what was included at Coco Cay as well! Had I not researched that, I would've ended up spending money on food/drinks when it was included."
The example of CocoCay is important given it has a material impact on one's vacation budget, as well as expectations.
NinaPenny had a goal of taking advantage of what's included, "Since this was our first time cruising, I was trying to do everything that was included and tried not to spend any extra money."
The exception was spending extra to reserve the Royal Railway. This is the new immersive dining experience that makes you feel like you're on a train in the Old West.
The only bit of research that backfired was looking up water slide heights, which is different from what the actual requirement that is on the ship.
"When I checked, it showed that my daughter was tall enough to ride all the water slides but when we went, she was an inch short."
The best things about Utopia of the Seas
Besides doing research, here are the important takeaways from trying Utopia.
- The food was delicious but the service was impeccable. All the staff members were so nice!
- The embarking and disembarking was the easiest thing ever! Way better than the airport. It was such a breeze!
- All the shows were top notch!
- The comedy show was also our least favorite. They two comics were okay. If I could have a do over, I would rather go see All In instead!
- All the other shows were amazing! I loved it!
- Royal Railway is a must do experience! The food, the presentation, everything.... was soooo good!!!
What to research when you plan your cruise
It can feel overwhelming where to start in your cruise planning process, but just looking up basis will help considerably.
I think the obvious place to start is with the ship itself. Figuring out what it has and doesn't have is important so you can start making plans (or pick a different ship).
Each Royal Caribbean ship has its own set of amenities and things to do, so I'd start off looking up the restaurants, activities, events, and more you can do on the ship.
You could read a past Cruise Compass to see what's offered on the ship, watch a ship tour on YouTube, or simply start googling away to see what you can find.
Equally important is understanding the basics of cruises and what is included and costs extra. Here are some easy articles to get you started:
- Cruise ship cabin guide
- How dining works on Royal Caribbean
- 30 Do's and Don'ts for the first day of your cruise
- Perfect Day at CocoCay guide
All of these are jumping off points. Your own curiosity should lead you to cover the basics beyond that.
