There are so many cruise tips shared across the internet, but not all of them are ones that make sense.
Some of these tips are based on personal preferences, and no matter how effective they are, if they don't jive with your style, it's not very useful.
Someone on Reddit asked cruise fans which cruise tips do they disagree with and why.
It sparked hundreds of comments touching on many aspects of a cruise vacation.
Here are the top ones and the rationale behind each, so you can decide if it's good for you or not.
You never spend time in the room except to sleep
The advice of picking a small, inside room instead of a balcony because you won't get as much use out of it was the top tip people disagreed with in the thread.
The argument is because there's so much to see, do, eat, and explore on Royal Caribbean's cruise ships, you simply won't be in your room much to take advantage of the perks.
"My favorite thing on a cruise is to sit on the balcony and read. We do stuff yes, but not sunrise to sunset and spend time in the room just relaxing." Sea_Voice_404 posted.
I can understand why some people would say that, especially vacationers that have cruised a lot.
I think it may also depend on the ship. There's a big difference between things to do on Icon of the Seas vs Wonder of the Seas vs Enchantment of the Seas.
One major reason to get a balcony cabin was for the opportunity to have breakfast there, as there's a complimentary continental breakfast from room service.
The idea is you have the food delivered to your room and enjoy it on your balcony with the sun rising and open sea around you.
I can see both sides of the arguments, and I agree with this tip, but it's based on which ship you're sailing on and how much more it is to upgrade to a balcony or suite.
Book a later check-in time because it's less busy
What time should you book a check-in time for? Some people recommend a later time to avoid longer check-in lines at the cruise terminal.
"I'm getting on at 10AM and starting my drinking and relaxing at 10:05," said avamore, and I couldn't agree more.
The cost of your vacation is the same whether you board at 10am or 1pm, so I'll always pick the earlier time to get on and start enjoying the ship.
Plus, what are you going to do in the intermediate time? Hotels kick you out by 11am in most cases, and lunch is included in your cruise fare whereas you'd have to pay for lunch somewhere else.
The way to get an early check-in time is to do your check-in exactly at 45 days before the cruise sets sail. The earliest check-in times go first.
I also disagree with the premise of the tip that the terminal is really busy. Yes, there will be people there, but I find Royal Caribbean has the easiest and fastest check-in across the industry. Their use of the mobile app along with procedures in the terminal keeps people moving, provided you take the steps to check-in before the cruise begins.
Book a room away from the elevators
The rationale for this tip is to avoid noise from the elevator lobby where people will be walking, talking, and generally making noise. Instead, book a room at the end of the hall where you won't have nearly as much noise bleed issues.
I think the notion a room near the elevator is noisy is a false narrative to begin with. My travel agent always books my cabin near the elevator and I love it for the convenience, whether I'm taking the elevator or the stairs.
"It’s just nice not having to walk from the direct middle or end of the ship to be anywhere quickly," said tyranski332.
The impact of a short walk is more apparent on Icon, Oasis, and Quantum Class ships where cabins at the very end of the hall can seem like the walk never ends.
Skip the Main Dining Room and buy the unlimited specialty dining package
The logic behind this tip is to indulge in specialty dining because food in the Main Dining Room isn't good, isn't as good as it used to be, or specialty dining food is just better.
JH12214 wrote, "In reality, I thought that every dinner I had was great. I was well-taken care of, and perhaps because I was lead to believe it was microwave-quality, I was pleasantly surprised."
I really like the Main Dining Room overall, and I'll eat there on some nights and work in specialty on other nights.
But I would never go as far as to tell anyone, especially new cruisers, that they should avoid the Main Dining Room.
I love the service you get in the Main Dining Room. Waiters getting to know you and your family are one of the reasons I fell in love with cruising in the first place.
And while not every dish in the Main Dining Room is going to be the best you've ever had, there are definitely some that I'll order every single time.
My advice for a new cruiser is to try one or two specialty restaurants, but rely on the Main Dining Room otherwise. Then after trying both, make a decision for yourself.
You need to buy a package to have a good cruise
Piggybacking on the previous tip, goinhungryyeah wrote buying various packages is necessary for a good cruise.
This goes back to how you like to cruise. I agree you don't need to buy any extra cost package to have a good time. There's enough included you won't go hungry and still have a fun vacation.
The value of the packages are for those that prefer to vacation in a certain way. If you want to have five to six drinks a day, a drink package is going to save you money. If you love teppanyaki dining, steak, and lobster, a dining package might be a good fit.
However, don't automatically assume you need one.
I'd advise to read through what each package offers, and what Royal Caribbean includes.
In some cases, you can decide on the ship if you really need it. You can buy an internet package or drink package onboard, but you'll pay more per day than if you prepaid.
Over the door shoe organizers
One of the top cabin hacks out there is to bring an over the door hanging shoe organizer to add more storage space to your cabin.
I tried this hack out myself and found it really didn't work for me. In fact, I was more annoyed by it jostling around a lot.
I think this tip is rooted in the old days of cruise ships (ships built before 2010) that truly lacked storage space. If you sail on any ship built more recently, I'm always amazed how much storage space there is.
Some readers point out the value here is for toiletries, which unless you're in a suite, always lacks places for everyone's bathroom accessories. This is especially true the more people you have in the room.
Avoid the Windjammer on embarkation day
Embarkation day is busy, and it seems everyone goes to the Windjammer buffet for lunch. So the advice is to skip it to avoid lines.
lemon-actually explained, "I find it way more crowded at peak breakfast time on any other day. If you want Windjammer when you get on the ship, go to Windjammer. It’s busy but truly not as horrific as people say (in my experience anyway)."
This is one of those tips where I can see both sides of the logic.
Yes, the Windjammer around 1pm is going to be very busy on embarkation day. However, it's not impossible to get food or a table.
The other reason I'll still go is for the variety of food.
I have picky eaters in my family, so the widest selection is always welcome to simplify things.
I also find if you get an early check-in time and board early, it's less chaotic than going later on in the day.
Don't bring kids because it’s not fun/you’re just parenting on a ship
I cannot disagree with a tip more than this one that bringing kids is a mistake.
With apologies to ashmcdonald88 who wrote a good post explaining why it's a bad tip, I'd like to get on my own soap box.
Taking your kids, even babies, on vacation is one of the best things you can do as a parent. One of your jobs is to surround them in positive experiences and share in life journeys. Vacation is a huge one of those.
Plus, Royal Caribbean is a family cruise line. They specialize and cater to families: always have and always will.
I hate to paint with a wide brush, but this tip usually comes from people who don't want to hear, see, or be near children. I'll never understand this logic when they choose to cruise on a family cruise line.
Not to mention Royal Caribbean offers adult-only areas, as well as areas that tend to lean into adult spaces.
Only use ship excursions, you might be left behind
There's truth to the fact Royal Caribbean promises if you book a shore excursion with them, they'll guarantee to get you back on the ship if the tour is late.
I think this is one of the top concerns cruisers have, especially new ones. I remember the first time we did a non-Royal Caribbean tour and left our kids in Adventure Ocean. The level of paranoia was insane.
However, I think you're doing yourself a disservice if you rule out all third party tours.
I'd recommend considering both kinds of shore excursions, and then making a choice for you.
In Cozumel, I'll always book a tour on my own, unless I ever did an excursion on the mainland that requires a ferry boat. Then, I'll only go through Royal Caribbean because of how notorious that ferry is being delayed.
A mix of both kinds of tours is probably where you should be.
Don't get Wi-Fi. Turn off from the world.
This is another tip I totally disagree with because there's more downtime on a cruise than you might think.
I'll always buy a Wi-Fi package because it's just as relaxing to me to have the internet. I want to play Wordle, check out new YouTube videos, message friends and family, or follow my social feeds.
I think this tip comes from folks who associate internet with work. Meaning, their phone being connected will inevitably draw in work emails or messages.
That may be true, but before I went full time with this blog, I would purposefully not check my work email.
Stay on the ship in Nassau
Royal Caribbean actually agrees with this tip, in the sense they're trying to do something about it.
Nassau consistently ranks as one of the worst ports in terms of guest satisfaction. It's why they're building a brand new beach club to address the issue.
Royal Beach Club Paradise Island opens in December 2025, and will be an extra-cost option where the cruise line is promising "the ultimate beach day."
I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing what the final product looks like, but plans I've seen so far indicate they're taking the best lessons they've learned from Perfect Day at CocoCay and their ships, and applying it to an all-inclusive experience that will jump out as exciting.
Use a travel agent
Reddit user mritty disagreed about the value of a travel agent, "Most of the time they do nothing for you and serve as nothing but a middle man, a roadblock to you making any changes to your reservation."
I disagree that using a travel agent is a bad idea. I love using them, and always recommend them to friends and family.
When I see arguments like this, I'm reminded of restaurants.
If you go to a bad restaurant, do you swear off every going to another restaurant? Do you swear off Italian restaurants? No, of course not.
Not all travel agents are equal, but the good ones make managing your cruises and issues you run into so much easier.
I saw a comment from Billy from CruiseHabit.com that I thought really put the roadblock comment into perspective, "I've never seen it as a road block. Instead of calling a call center and waiting on hold, I text or email my agent, or call, whatever I prefer, and they make it happen."
"No holding, no escalating to a supervisor, etc. Plus they're worth their weight in gold if you run into an issue and need an advocate or someone to scramble changes for you."
