What if there was an easy fix you could apply to your next cruise that would make a big difference?
After all my years of cruising, I've found sometimes a very small change can have a big impact on my enjoyment of a cruise. Think of it like discovering a new marinade that invigorates a tired meal you're used to, or perhaps a supplement that makes your gym workout less tiresome.
Cruises are a very personalized experience, because everyone chooses a different way to enjoy it. I could spend weeks on the same ship and never try one aspect of the cruise that someone else did.
I asked our readers for an easy thing they do to make their cruise better, and wanted to share the tips, hacks, and alterations they came up with for an even better Royal Caribbean cruise.
Skip the buffet for breakfast
A great example of a "do this, not that" in order to enhance your cruise is where to have breakfast.
Most people default to hitting up the Windjammer buffet for breakfast. That's fine, but it can be quite crowded.
Fred Hazelton recommended a sit down breakfast and skip the buffet.
Royal Caribbean opens its Main Dining Room for breakfast every day of the cruise, including the final morning.
Not only is the pace more relaxed, but you're assigned a table and have the choice of traditional American breakfast items: scrambled eggs, omelettes, pancakes, and more.
It also won't take a long time to enjoy breakfast in the Main Dining Room. You can expect to complete the meal in less than hour.
The only potential issue is breakfast isn't served as long in the Main Dining Room as it is in the Windjammer, so you'll need to get going early for it.
On Oasis of the Seas, breakfast is served between 8:00am and 9:30am in the Main Dining Room.
Put the kids in a connecting stateroom
I've been cruising with my kids since they were each 6 months old, but there's no doubt sharing a room with them isn't always idyllic.
Krystal Sodaitis recommended booking connecting rooms so the kids have their own room, and I couldn't agree more.
Booking connecting rooms instead of a larger single room is one of my favorite family cruise hacks.
This strategy gets you an extra bathroom, separation with a common door, and so much more privacy and living space.
The older your kids get, the more important this is. When my kids were young, they needed a perfectly dark and quiet environment to fall asleep (and stay asleep). This meant my wife and I had to go bed early and had to keep lights and noise to a minimum as not to disturb them.
As they got older, having an extra bathroom went from "nice to have" to "must have" because of how much time girls need to prep and pamper before they're ready to go out.
Plus, the separate bedroom gives everyone privacy.
I love my kids, but sharing one cabin with them isn't necessarily the best setup for a cruise.
It's also worth mentioning booking two connecting smaller cabins may actually be cheaper than a single larger higher category stateroom, such as a suite.
Don't live out of your suitcase
It's tempting to get on the cruise and start all the fun as soon as possible, but I agree putting away your clothes makes a difference.
Stephen Dennis wrote, "Keep your cabin clean. Don't live out of your suitcase!" and I think he's right.
On shorter cruises I'd sometimes just leave everything in my suitcase because the effort to unpack and pack it all back later seemed silly.
The truth is unpacking makes the room less cluttered and easier to find what you actually need.
I didn't want to admit that unpacking mattered because my laziness and pride was blocking it. But once I started unpacking, I realized the cabin does feel different.
Moreover, keeping the stateroom tidy is more than just being proper. Having things put away means you can actually enjoy the furniture in the room, like the couch.
Cruise ship couches seem to be magnets for junk, discarded clothing, and paperwork. Not being able to sit on the couch because there's too much stuff really limits the usable space.
When I keep my couch clear, I find it almost liberating how much more expansive the cabin feels.
Pay everything ahead of time
Early on in my cruising career, I used to dread the final morning of the cruise because of the final bill waiting outside my door (and my vacation ending too).
One solid strategy for limiting onboard spend is to pre-purchase as much as you can, which is exactly what Paul Fossetti recommended.
"Pay everything ahead of time. Once onboard, don’t have to worry about anything," is what he wrote and there's truth to this.
Not only does this reduce the final bill at the end of the cruise, but it allows you to spread expenses out.
After booking the cruise, you could split up purchases on different credit card billing cycles to take the sting out of the costs.
Equally important is how much cheaper it is to pre-pay for these things compared to buying it onboard.
Royal Caribbean has so many pre-cruise sales that you're almost certain to save money by pre-booking, especially on drink packages, shore excursions, internet access, and specialty dining.
Many readers recommended a beverage package as an easy thing to do for a better cruise, and using Paul's tip will save so much money on that.
You can find discounts of up to 40% off a drink package when pre-purchased.
Relax and don't sweat the small stuff
So many readers posted tips related to going onboard with the right attitude.
- "Go on it and forget about everything"
- "Don't worry about unexpected plan changes"
- "Don’t sweat the small [stuff] and enjoy yourself"
- "Attitude! Don't worry"
Cruises are designed to be fun, enjoyable, and relaxing, but you've got to let it all come to you.
Jeff Page wrote, "Relax and don't sweat the small stuff," and that's terrific advice for any cruiser.
Like any vacation, it may not all go exactly as you thought. It might rain, your kids might have a bad day, your steak might not be cooked to order, and the Bills might blow another AFC Championship game. You can't let those things ruin your cruise.
On one cruise I had grandiose plans for visiting St. Thomas and my plans backfired almost immediately and I got so frustrated and angry. My wife took me to a nearby bar for a drink to regroup and it served as a good lesson that you can't let things like that go from a small problem to a major one.
We had a couple drinks, found something else to do, and salvaged our day.
My experience is akin to what many recommended with anything that doesn't go your way on the cruise. Go with the flow, and make the best of the situation at hand.
Cruise solo
I saw a few people recommend to cruise solo, and it's actually solid advice.
Cruising alone may not be ideal, but it's better than not cruising at all. Sometimes there are situations where friends and family can't join you for the cruise, but the chance to go is worthwhile.
On the surface, comments of "cruise solo" sound like a preferred way to travel. But I think it's a reminder if the choice is cruise solo or don't cruise at all, there's value in cruising solo.
This isn't a free pass to ditch your family in favor of a cruise, but there are situations where it may make sense to take a leap and try a cruise alone.
I can tell you from experience cruising alone isn't as limiting as you might fear.
