There are somethings you can do on a cruise ship that seem like a great idea, but you'll probably regret it later.
When I went on on Star of the Seas, I thought it would be fun to put a dry erase board on my cabin door. It became a regular target for some cruisers who thought it was fun to deface it every day, so I ended up taking it down and tossing it in the trash.
As they say, live and learn. And there are plenty of other examples of ideas that sound good until you actually try them out.
For instance, I took a bus ride to Bordeaux, France because I didn't think a 90 minute bus ride each way would be that bad. While I had a great time exploring that city, the commute time was worse than I ever imagined.
To that point, I hear from other cruisers who suggest certain plans on their cruise and I want to immediately stop them before they make a mistake.
I came up with 6 ideas I see often from cruisers that simply sound better than they really are.
Try to do two excursions in the same day
If you want a sure-fire way to overwhelm yourself, try booking two shore excursions on the same day.
It's tempting to try to work in different excursions while in port, but I find it's more trouble than it's worth.
First, there's the paranoia factor that comes with worrying about missing the second tour if your first tour doesn't finish exactly on time. Or the time and distance required to get from the end of your first tour to the second tour.
But more importantly, it's a lot to work into a day. Excursions involve some level of physical exertion, and I find after one tour, I'm ready for a break of some kind. I might want to chill out, go for a walk, or simply explore on my own.
Post-tour fatigue is especially problematic on warm Caribbean cruises, where the heat and humidity will wear you down.
Instead of two tours on the same day, book one and leave a follow-up DIY tour as something you could do if you feel there's enough time and motivation.
Combining CocoCay water park and day pass
If you're thinking of booking a cabana or a day pass to either Coco Beach Club or Hideaway Beach with a water park admission, you're not going to be able to sufficiently enjoy either.
Having tried all of the extra cost areas of Perfect Day at CocoCay, I believe each is best enjoyed when you spend the whole day there.
Considering how costly a day pass, cabana rental, or water park admission can be, I don't think it makes financial sense to try to combine them and feel like you had enough time at any of them to justify the cost.
Pick one and relish the experience it provides. Save the other one for your next visit.
Flying in the same day as your cruise leaves
One of the top faux pas you can make on a cruise is to try to fly in the same day your cruise departs.
You're thinking you could save money by not having to get a hotel room and incidental costs that come with it.
The problem is you have a narrow window of time to board your ship, and a travel delay could lead you to miss the cruise entirely. Royal Caribbean will not refund your money because your flight was cancelled or delayed.
Air travel is especially susceptible to delays due to weather, government shutdowns, maintenance issues, and a host of other issues.
Even if you have travel insurance that would cover some of the lost cost, that won't make up for the vacation time you were looking forward to.
Instead, you'll want to arrive at least a day or two before your cruise is set to depart to ensure travel delays won't impact your ability to make it on the ship.
Letting the cruise line pick your stateroom
I love saving money on my cruise reservation, but there are risks with letting Royal Caribbean choose your cabin location.
Guaranteed cabins are an option where you can save money on a particular stateroom category, but your room will be assigned from a pool of unsold cabins later on.
While Royal Caribbean did add a new option to pay money to find your guarantee cabin assignment sooner, but you're still getting a room assigned based on the leftover choices.
In my experience, you're going to end up with a room in a location that you might not be comfortable with. It could be all the way at the front of the ship or at the back. That means a longer distance to walk to the elevators, as well as feeling more movement from the ocean.
Your balcony might have an obstruction to it from a lifeboat or other piece of equipment that hinders your view.
One of the most common scenarios is you get put in a connecting cabin, which are notorious for noise bleed issues because the connecting door isn't very well insulated.
If you're someone that needs to have a cabin in a specific location or would be disappointed if your view was ruined by an obstruction, I'd recommend booking a specific cabin instead.
Thinking Royal Caribbean's VIP pass will make a big difference
Many long-time readers of this site know I'm not a fan of The Key, and it's because the benefits sound a lot better than they really are.
Advertised as a VIP pass, The Key includes many perks, such as priority boarding, a welcome aboard lunch, carry-on luggage storage, and priority times at certain attractions.
On paper, these sound great. But in reality, I think you're overpaying for benefits you can mostly get on your own or benefits you probably won't ever use.
For example, priority boarding is lovely, but Royal Caribbean's boarding process very efficiently. If you get an early check-in time, I promise you'll board the ship within a few minutes of those with The Key.
The welcome aboard lunch is food from Chops Grille, which you can order on your own by making a reservation.
The priority times at signature attractions never includes the water slides, and the times given are either early in the morning or late afternoon. Those are times when demand is quite low for things like the Flowrider or rock climbing wall anyway.
The bottom line is the daily cost adds up, and I think you probably won't get the value out of it. Instead, book the perks you need on your own.
Booking cruises directly with the cruise line
Unlike other areas of travel, booking your vacation directly with the cruise line is actually a mistake.
When you book a cruise, there's so much more to decide beyond the ship and room you want. Cruising is very personalized, and the itinerary and/or ship you choose affects which destinations you'll visit and which excursions will be available to you.
Plus, the different cabin categories, dining choices, gratuities, and even when to make payments all add additional layers of complexity.
I recommend everyone use a good travel agent to book a cruise because of the personalization factor involved.
To Royal Caribbean's credit, it's very easy to book a cruise on their website or by calling them. But a good travel agent can be such a terrific resource to answer questions, determine the ideal cabin and itinerary, and most importantly: step in when there's a problem.
Moreover, travel agents have access to special group rates and discounts. Agencies negotiate group space at lower rates with the cruise line, which could save you money on your cruise fare.
It's not always the case, but I'm surprised how often I'm able to save money simply because I used a travel agent.
I cannot tell you how many questions about problems or situations I get from cruisers that could have easily been avoided if they had used a good travel agent.
