Before you cruise, I want to share the best Royal Caribbean secrets that you can take advantage of on your sailing!
These are the things the cruise line doesn't tell you, but they're a thing you can still do. These are the sort of things only people that cruise a lot would know about.
Because a cruise is a very personalized experience, certain elements of the vacation can be enhanced based on your preferences. Meaning, there are secrets here that might be more valuable to you than someone else.
I came up with a list of things Royal Caribbean doesn't necessarily advertise, but you should know about before you sail.
You'll earn more loyalty points booking solo cruises
Every cruise point represents a night on a ship, although there are some ways to get more points quicker.
Royal Caribbean will give you an extra cruise point per night if you book any suite.
You can also earn an extra cruise point per night if you happen to cruise alone in a cabin.
When you stay in a suite by yourself, you'll earn 3 points per night. This is the most points you can earn per night on any cruise.
Some people actually book two cabins just to earn points faster.
How to get a table for two in the Main Dining Room
Want a table for just you and your family without sharing it with strangers?
Seating in the Main Dining Room can sometimes involve being seated with other cruisers. It's a cruising tradition going back decades, and some people really like it as a way to meet new people and make dinner more interesting.
If you booked Traditional Dining and prefer to sit alone, send an email to [email protected] about 2-3 weeks before your cruise and ask for a smaller table for just your party.
Visit the helipad
If you're on a Radiance, Voyager, or Freedom Class ship, the best spot for sailaway is the helipad at the front of the ship.
Located on the bow, guests can walk to the helicopter pad and enjoy the unobstructed views that you can only get from the helicopter pad. The perspective from this spot is hard to beat and many guests do not know it is possible to go here.
To access the helicopter pad, go outside on the outdoor promenade deck and then walk forward, climb up a set of stairs, and continue walking forward until you reach the helicopter pad.
Balcony dividers can be removed
On most Royal Caribbean ships, the balcony dividers are removable.
This is useful if you book two balcony cabins next to each other. By removing the divider, you get an extra large balcony space that feels significantly more spacious.
You can ask your stateroom attendant to do this. As long as you booked cabins next to each other, they can do this.
Pack socks and pants for ice skating
On ships that have a ice skating rink onboard, there's open skate sessions offered.
It's free to participate, but you need to wear socks and pants. On Caribbean cruises, you might not have these items packed with you.
Use your TV as a nightlight
If you booked an inside cabin, there's no natural light, so a workaround is to use your television.
Tune the TV to the bridge view channel, mute the sound, and you've got a nightlight when the sun comes up.
You can order as much as you want at most restaurants
A lot of new cruisers are unaware there's no limit to the amount of food you can order at the Main Dining Room.
You can order multiple entrees, appetizers, or desserts, and there's no extra charge.
If it sounds gluttonous, it's really not for two good reasons: first, you might want try a new food or are unsure which dish you might prefer.
Second, serving sizes tend to be on the small side compared to restaurants on land. I find ordering two entrees is a must-do because I might not feel full with just one.
Moreover, you can order multiples of the same dish. If you love the French Onion Soup, ask for a second or third!
Your cabin walls are magnetic
Cruise cabin doors and walls are made of metal, which means you can affix magnets to them quite easily.
Heavy duty magnets are helpful to bring on a cruise because you can use them to hang things up, which helps tremendously with clutter around your cabin.
I bring a pack of magnetic hooks with me so I can hang swimsuits, hats, or jackets. It not only keeps things off the floor or couch, but also frees up space in drawers.
There's a free breakfast room service option
Royal Caribbean charges for room service, except for one breakfast option.
It's easily overlooked, but there's a continental breakfast room service choice that is immune to the normal fee.
This includes pastries, fruit, coffee, and juice and can be delivered to your stateroom free of charge.
Secret sandwich
On Perfect Day at CocoCay, there's a menu item you have to ask for by name because it's not on the menu.
The Snack Shack has a secret, off-the-menu dish you can ask for by simply requesting "the secret sandwich."
You can top the crispy chicken sandwich with mozzarella sticks and marinara dipping sauce, and you'll end up with a tasty chicken parmesan sandwich.
Try the cooking stations
My favorite thing about the Windjammer are the cooking stations.
The food is here is made the way you want it, and it's cooked on the spot fresh.
At breakfast there is an omelet station. For lunch and dinner, there's usually a rotating option of stir fry, pasta, and more.
Fresh food will always be a step ahead of prepared food, and the cooking stations are my first stop in the Windjammer on every visit.
Johnny Rockets is free for breakfast
Johnny Rockets is a specialty restaurant with a cover charge for lunch and dinner, but it's actually free for breakfast.
On Oasis Class ships only, Johnny Rockets is open for breakfast and it's complimentary.
For breakfast, Johnny Rockets serves up fried or scrambled eggs, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, French toast, omelets and more.
Juice, milk, coffee, tea and hot chocolate are included in the meal as well.
The tap water on a cruise ship is drinkable
Believe it or not, the tap water is not only safe to drink, but probably the cleanest water you'll ever drink.
Every Royal Caribbean ship has a meticulously maintained water treatment/storage system that supplies all of the ships potable water.
Relying on the tap water (or water provided at various drink stations or fountains) is a great money saving strategy.
One issue with the tap water is it may not be very cold, so ask your room attendant to bring ice to keep in your cabin.
The best time to hit the water slides is embarkation day
Pools, whirlpools, and water slides are available to use on embarkation day, and you’ll often find that they are much less crowded than other days onboard.
I recommend bringing your bathing suit with you on embarkation day to hit the water slides as soon as you get onboard. The lines will be non-existent because a lot of people packed their bathing suits.
You can change in one of the public restrooms on the pool deck. Or simply wear your bathing suit onboard as you embark!
How to go faster down the water slides
Royal Caribbean's water slides are fun, but you can make them more thrilling by doing two things.
Cross your arms and legs while going down the slide and arch your back. The less resistance in the water (and slide) that you have, the faster you will go.
You also want to have the least amount of clothing as you go down the slide. Rash guards, t-shirts, and more elaborate swimsuits will result in you slowing down.
Get cash from the slot machine to avoid a fee
Royal Caribbean charges a fee for cash withdrawals in the casino, unless you're a Prime member or higher in the casino loyalty program.
However, anyone can avoid the fee by going to a slot machine and pulling cash from there.
For some reason, there's no fee when you use the banker feature on a slot machine to get cash. You can then immediately cash out, go to the cashier and exchange it for cash.
At that point, you can go to the Blackjack table and try your luck, and you'll be up 5%!
