Royal Caribbean Blog

You have decided to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise and whether it is your first cruise ever, or just first time with Royal Caribbean, we are sharing eight helpful cruise tips for first time cruisers.

Our hope is these tips provide a means of enhancing your first time on a Royal Caribbean cruise. 

These tips may help avoid first-time pitfalls, or provide ways to enhance your experience onboard.

8. Book with a travel agent

All too often we get questions from first time cruisers that could more easily be resolved if they had used a travel agent.  

A good travel agent that specializes in cruising can really help make your first Royal Caribbean cruise a big success.  They will help navigate you throughout the whole booking process and be your guide to what makes the most sense for your family.  Early or late dinner? Travel insurance or not? Which day to arrive? These are all great questions that require personal input.

When it comes to making changes to your reservation, such as pricing out different staterooms, changes in fares, adding more people to your reservation or anything else requiring speaking with Royal Caribbean, the hold times for the phone can be downright awful.  But a travel agent will do all that leg work for you.

In addition, a good travel agent will work to get you the best deal on your cruise not only today but every day until the final payment date.  They can be save you money in addition to time.  And did I mention travel agents cost you nothing?

If something were to go wrong during your cruise, contact your agent and it's now their problem to solve. Always enlist your agent to handle issues on your behalf.

Read more: Why first-time cruisers should use a Royal Caribbean travel agent

7. Invest in a passport

American cruisers that take a Royal Caribbean cruise that depart and return from an U.S. port can cruise with a birth certificate and official form of identification, but a passport is worth spending a little more for the power it provides.

If something were to go wrong in another country, the difference between having a passport and not having a passport is tremendous.  If you have a passport, you can leave that very minute to go back to the United States. Without it, you will have to go to the embassy and go through a lot of red tape to get a visa back to the country.  It's not fun.

While expensive, passports are still the best way to get you onboard your cruise.

Read more: Ten first-time cruise mistakes to avoid

6. Pack light (or at least try to)

Over packing is something even the most experience cruiser can fall prey to, but trying to packing light(er) should be a goal for first time cruisers.

It may be tempting to pack half your wardrobe after reading about things like formal nights, but the reality is you will likely use a lot fewer clothes than you think.  Moreover, you will likely not go through as much casual clothing as you might think.

The laundry facilities onboard your Royal Caribbean ship allow for dry cleaning, and the wash and fold laundry bag specials means you have options if you find yourself running low on clean clothes.

Read more: The most important things to pack for your Royal Caribbean cruise

5. Research the ports you will visit

When you get off your ship and into the ports of call that your Royal Caribbean cruise will visit, you do not want to be at a loss for what to do.

The Internet is a wealth of information for figuring out the best activities to do in every port your cruise will visit.  Researching in advance will give you the chance to figure out what your group can do and what may be available.

"Winging it" can be adventurous but being informed about your choices in advance gives you a major advantage, especially if you're interested in an activity that has limited capacity.

Read more: Complete guide to picking the perfect shore excursions

4. Do not miss the shows

Royal Caribbean has a reputation in the cruise industry for being a leader, including the premier entertainment onboard their ships.

Each evening is filled with various shows, performances, and more.  Make time in your schedule to see as many of these shows as possible.  On the newer cruise ships, there are often theatrical, diving, and ice skating performances offered regularly.

It is important to give shows a try, especially shows that take place in the AquaTheater or ice skating arena.  First time cruisers may be tempted to skip these shows, since they seem a bit odd or different, given their location.  However, missing these shows would be a mistake, as they offer phenomenal and different displays not easily matched on land.

Read more: Top 16 things on a Royal Caribbean cruise everyone needs to do at least once

3. Consider drink and dining packages before you get onboard

The time to figure out if an unlimited beverage package or specialty dining package is right for you is in the weeks and months leading up to your cruise, and not once onboard.

While you can purchase dining and beverage packages on your ship, you will lose out on the pre-cruise discounts offered, plus you may not have adequate time to realistically gauge how lucrative the offerings will be for you.

Many guests opt to purchase one of these packages, but the reality is they are not a perfect fit for everyone.  How much value these packages will offer depends greatly on you and your habits.  Each package potentially can save you money, and be worth it, but it really depends on the person.

If you do decide to purchase a beverage package or dinner package, purchasing it prior to your cruise via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner will save you time on the ship, and very likely save you money.  

Read more: Are Royal Caribbean's unlimited drink packages worth it?

2. Arrive to your cruise port at least a day early

When traveling, there are certain factors you will have no control over, such as weather, canceled flights, and flat tires. If you ask seasoned travelers how they get around these obstacles, the answer is often to give yourself more time.  Instead of arriving to your departure city on the day of your cruise, arrive at least one day before your cruise is scheduled to depart.

By planning to arrive to your departure port at least one day early, you assure yourself that a travel delay will not impact your ability to get on your cruise. Having an extra day or two provides a buffer to account for travel delays.  You really do not want to be that person in the airport losing their mind because the latest delay means the entire vacation is in jeopardy.

As an added bonus, by arriving to your embarkation port at least a day early, that means you get to start your vacation sooner!  And in many cases, the port you are departing from has its own cultural and historical attractions that you can explore.

Read more: How being early is the secret to the best Royal Caribbean cruise, from start to finish

1. Read a past Cruise Compass

After booking a Royal Caribbean cruise, you may be wondering what events, activities and specials may be offered on your cruise.  

There is no way to know in absolute terms what your upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise will or will not offer, because Royal Caribbean does not publish its activities or entertainment in advance.  What you can do to learn about what to expect on your sailing is to consult a past Cruise Compass to see what was available on those similar sailings.

Generally speaking, Royal Caribbean sailings on a particular ship do not change that much from week to week in terms of the activities or entertainment offered.  There will be some discrepancies, but an old Cruise Compass can give you a good ballpark of expectations to plan around.

By reading an old Cruise Compass, you can prepare yourself for activities and events that you might want to participate in, such as themed dance parties, sporting events and anything inbetween.

Read more: First time cruiser's guide to Royal Caribbean's Cruise Compass

Happy Sunday! We are so happy that you stopped by and hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Grab a mug of your favorite hot beverage, sit back, and check out the latest in Royal Caribbean news.

Royal Caribbean shared some great news this week, with dates of when it will return to some hurricane-ravaged islands in the Eastern Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean will return to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Philipsburg, St. Maarten, which will be a, "major milestone towards the revival of these Caribbean gems which were impacted by recent hurricanes."

Royal Caribbean has been working closely with the governments of Puerto Rico and St. Maarten, and local businesses, and plans to offer destination experiences that will allow guests to enjoy the natural beauty, historic landmarks and culture of these idyllic islands.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean released new Symphony of the Seas construction photos.
• We interviewed Royal Caribbean's top cruiser, who has over 7000 Crown and Anchor Society points.
• What you need to know about self-disembarkation on Royal Caribbean cruises.
• Eight awesome reasons to buy an unlimited alcohol package.
• Here is a list of free beaches in the Caribbean to visit.
• Royal Caribbean won two awards at the Travel Weekly Asia awards.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

Royal Caribbean announced some of the activities, restaurants, and amenities coming to Symphony of the Seas, and we discussed every inch of the big announcement.

In this week's podcast episode, Matt and Michael share their thoughts on what was revealed.  It is an in-depth look at some of the exciting features coming to Royal Caribbean's next cruise ship.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Cruise Habit shared 11 tips for staying connected while on a cruise ship.

Moms of the Seas talked about how safe the child care is on a Royal Caribbean ship.

Seatrade Cruise News posted the departure of Royal Caribbean's Chief Human Resources Officer.

Royal Caribbean has shared new photos of Symphony of the Seas' construction progress.

Symphony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest Oasis-class ship, under construction at the STX shipyard in France. The ship is scheduled to be delivered in 2018.

Royal Caribbean's Daring Deals Sale offers guests 50% off the second guest, kids sail free, and up to $200 in instant savings.

Royal Caribbean cruises booked between October 27-31, 2017 on sailings departing on or after November 27, 2017 are eligible for this offer.

Offer includes

• 50% off cruise fare of second guest who must be booked in the same stateroom as a first guest who books at full fare.
• 25% cruise fare savings for 3rd guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests
• Kids Sail Free offer provides 3rd and 4th guests 12 years and younger free cruise fare.
  • Guests 12 & under sail free on 4 nights or longer Europe, Bahamas and Caribbean sailings departing November 1, 2017- December 31, 2018.
  • Excludes Symphony of the Seas sailings and sailings departing 11/17/17-11/27/17, 12/17/17 – 1/8/18, 2/15/18-2/20/18, 3/10/18-4/1/18, 5/15/18-9/1/18, 11/17/18-11/22/18 and 12/15/18-12/31/18.
• Daring Deals sale provides instant savings determined by category booked and sailing length:
  • $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View on sailings 5 nights or less
  • $75 savings for Balconies
  • $100 savings for Suites on sailings 5 nights and less
  • $75 savings for Interior and Ocean View on sailings 6 nights and longer
  • $125 savings for Balconies on sailings 6 nights and longer
  • $200 savings for suites on sailings 6 nights or longer.
• Deck the Holidays Deals offer provides onboard credit for guests who book a holiday sailing departing from December 19, 2017 through December 31, 2017 and December 18, 2018 through December 31, 2018.
  • Onboard credit determined by category booked and sailing length
    • $25 to spend onboard for Interior and Ocean View on sailings 5 nights or less
    • $50 to spend onboard for Balconies and Suites on sailings 5 nights and less
    • $50 to spend onboard for Interior and Ocean View on sailings 6 nights and longer
    • $100 to spend onboard for Balconies on sailings 6 nights or longer
    • $150 to spend onboard for Suites on sailings 6 nights or longer

Daring Deals sale and Deck the Holidays offer exclude China departures. 

BOGO offer is combinable with Kids Sail Free, NRDB OBC, promotional OBCs and instant savings, NextCruise offers, restricted discounts (for example, Senior, Resident, Military), Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Deck the Holidays, Kids Sail Free and Daring Deals sale are combinable with NextCruise offers, NRDB OBC, and restricted discounts (for example, Senior, Resident, Military) but is not combinable with Shareholder benefits and Crown and Anchor discounts. BOGO50 bookings made for China departures are combinable with NextCruise offers and Crown and Anchor balcony/suites discounts only. All offers are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, Net Rates.

Offer available to residents of United States and Canada.

Happy Friday to everyone! When the calendar hits Friday, that means we are sharing our readers favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos!  

Each week we invite our readers to send us their favorite Royal Caribbean photos and we showcase them all right here!

We begin this week with a photo from Anoop of a sea day on Anthem of the Seas.

Justin Amrhein shared this photo of Grandeur of the Seas heading out of Baltimore.

Here is a photo of Brilliance of the Seas in the Mediterranean by Bill Griemsmann.

Our next photo is by Krisztina Benko, and it is of sunset as seen from the AquaTheater on Allure of the Seas.

Here is a behind the scenes look at the galley, taken by The Cruise Wolf on Anthem of the Seas.

Kinny Lee took this photo of the Royal Promenade in the early morning hours.

We wrap up this week's edition with a shot of the cabanas on CocoCay, taken by David J.

We want to share your Royal Caribbean photos too! Send us your favorite, best, most awesome Royal Caribbean cruise photos by using this form and we will feature them in an upcoming Friday Photos blog post!

There are lots of great activities to enjoy while visiting the ports of call on a cruise to the Eastern or Western Caribbean, including spending the day at the beach.

A day at the beach can come in many different ways, and prices, but nearly every Caribbean port has at least a few beaches open to the public and we took some time to list some of the more popular ones.  In many cases, there are more beaches without an admission fee, so consider this list a jumping off point.

We should also define the word, "free" before the comments section of this blog post erupts with corrections.  We are defining a "free beach" as any beach in which it costs you nothing to sit down on the sand and enjoy the surf and sand.  There are some inherit costs associated with a day at the beach that are simply part of anywhere you go, such as transportation to/from the cruise terminal, food and drinks, chair/umbrella rental, etc.   

It is also worth noting in many ports, all beaches are technically open to the public, but facilities and other amenities offered may not available to you. 

Nassau, Bahamas

Junkanoo Beach

Cabbage Beach

Cozumel

Playa Palancar

Playa Azul

Costa Maya

Mahahual

Grand Cayman

Public Beach

Falmouth

Burwood Beach

St. Thomas

All the beaches in the Virgin Islands, including St. Thomas, are public.

Lindquist Beach

Emerald Beach

St. Maarten

Maho Beach

Orient Beach

San Juan, Puerto Rico

All beaches on Puerto Rico, even those situated near luxury hotels, are open to the public.

Public bathing beaches, with lifeguards and facilities, are called balnearios and charge for parking and for use of lockers and showers. Admission to the beach is free.

El Escambrón public beach

Isla Verde public beach

Roatan

All beaches on Roatan are supposed to be open to the public, but we have heard of some resorts in West Bay circumventing this.  The West End beaches, however, tend to be open and not charge entry fees to go to the beach.

Camp Bay public beach

Did we miss a great public beach? Tell us about it in the comments!

This week's podcast episode is ready to go, as we present episode 221 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for your downloading pleasure.

This week, Matt and Michael talk about Royal Caribbean's recent Symphony of the Seas reveal, where many new restaurants, entertainment, and staterooms were announced.  The guys discuss their thoughts on the new additions coming, as well as what else they think may be coming next.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 221. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!

Royal Caribbean announced today the cruise line will return to two major cruise ports largely impacted by hurricanes earlier this year.

Royal Caribbean will return to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Philipsburg, St. Maarten, which will be a, "major milestone towards the revival of these Caribbean gems which were impacted by recent hurricanes."

On November 30, Freedom of the Seas will be the first ship in the fleet to call on San Juan, Puerto Rico

Grandeur of the Seas will follow suit on December 17 as the first cruise ship to sail into, St. Maarten since Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas arrived to provide humanitarian relief last month.

As of November. 30, all scheduled calls to San Juan and St. Thomas across 10 ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet will operate as planned

This announcement comes on the heels of Royal Caribbean’s recent news that Adventure of the Seas will be the first ship to call on St. Thomas on November 10.  

"Royal Caribbean is encouraged by the commendable progress that has been made by the governments of Puerto Rico and St. Maarten towards the recovery of these destinations and it means a lot to us that we are heading back home. We have been part of the Caribbean community for almost 50 years, and for all of us it has been paramount that we focus on supporting our long-standing partners – who feel more like family after so many years," said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "Supporting these destinations that are so reliant on tourism is key to the future of the islands and the best thing we – as travelers and businesses – can do for the islands."

Royal Caribbean has been working closely with the governments of Puerto Rico and St. Maarten, and local businesses, and plans to offer destination experiences that will allow guests to enjoy the natural beauty, historic landmarks and culture of these idyllic islands. Power and transportation is on track to be readily available in San Juan by November 30.

Similarly, the return of power and water to most of St. Maarten means that a majority of the shops, restaurants and bars, and tour operators around Philipsburg will be fully operational for guests to experience a diverse and extensive array of dining, shopping and activities in the area. The sun and vistas of the region’s best beaches, Great Bay Beach and Kimshaw Beach, will be a beacon for guests wanting to dive into the turquoise blue waters and admire the sea life, whether by boat or catamaran, or from the relaxing comfort of a beach lounger.

The scheduled visits to St. Maarten will operate as planned starting on Dec. 17 with the exception of Oasis of the Seas, which will make its first call to the island on January 1 during her New Year’s Eve cruise. Additionally, the global cruise line will return to St. Croix on January 8 with the arrival of Jewel of the Seas, which will sail from San Juan. All calls to Dominica are cancelled through June 2018 and the cruise line is working closely with the local government on a return date to the destination.

Perhaps no Royal Caribbean add-on purchase has become as popular as the Deluxe Beverage Package has.

In just a few short years, many guests have become drink package fans and it seems like more and more guests are purchasing them every cruise.

Whether you count yourself as one of the many that enjoy indulging in the unlimited alcohol package time and time again, or perhaps you are, "on the fence" about purchasing one, here are eight good reasons the unlimited alcohol package is, well, awesome!

8. Refillable mug is included

A nice little extra with Royal Caribbean's unlimited alcohol package is each person that buys a Deluxe Beverage package receives a souvenir Coca-Cola refillable mug.

This mug works with the self-serve Coca-Cola machines, and can also be given to a waiter or bartender to be filled.  This means plenty of soft drinks wherever you are on the ship.

As an added bonus, you get to take it home with you after the cruise!

7. They work at Labadee and CocoCay

All of Royal Caribbean's unlimited alcohol packages can be used the cruise line's private destinations of CocoCay and Labadee.

Your drink package at these two spots can be used just like onboard the ship.  Present your SeaPass card to any crew member working on the island and they will fulfill your order.

The only caveat to keep in mind is many of the roving bar servers offering a Labadoozie or Coco Loco have souvenir cups with them, so you may have to walk to the bar to get your drinks with the package.

6. You will (likely) visit more bars

Royal Caribbean ships have many bars onboard, and in addition to different ambiance and decor, many bars have their own special drink menus.

If you have a drink package, a fun activity is to try out new bars and see what makes that bar or lounge special or different.  You may find Boleros serves up the best mojitos onboard, or see how good of a drink the Bionic Bar robots can create.

Bar hopping with the unlimited alcohol package is as fun as the drinking itself.

5. Perfect for use in specialty restaurants

When you think of the unlimited alcohol package, most guests instantly envision drinks by the pool or at their favorite bar but a place where the unlimited alcohol packages truly shine are at the specialty restaurants.

Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants often offer a special menu of cocktails and beverages unique to those restaurants, that are not advertised anywhere else onboard.

Furthermore, the drinks at the specialty restaurants are rarely, if ever, discounted, so guests paying cash for these drinks will have to pay the full price.

With the unlimited alcohol package, guests can sample as many of these specialty cocktails as they like, because most are included in the Deluxe Beverage Package.

4. Less vacation stress

If you ask someone who got back from a Royal Caribbean cruise what they thought of the unlimited alcohol package, inevitably you will hear about how simple it was to order drinks and not worry about receipts.

When you take away all those bar tabs paying a la carte, the SeaPass account quickly gets shorter and easier to read.

In addition, gratuity is included with the unlimited alcohol packages (in North America), so there is no more figuring out how much to tip the bartender or waiter. 

The entire drink ordering process seems to fly by, without feeling you are doing a high school math problem at the end of your cruise.

3. One fixed cost for all drinks

One of the chief benefits of the Deluxe Beverage Package is there is one fixed cost for all your drinking onboard.

Instead of worrying about if you really should order one more mojito, the cost is already set, so it is all about what you want, when you want it.

Guests that pre-purchase the unlimited alcohol packages can not only get a fixed cost for their drinks onboard, but can also break apart the total cost of the cruise.

2. Trying new drinks

Since the cost of all your drinks is set with the unlimited alcohol packages, you can sample new drinks without fear of wasting your money.

Royal Caribbean ships offer a lot of drinks to choose from and sometimes you might be tempted to try a drink but worry you might not like it and feel obliged to finish it because you paid for it.

With the drink packages, there is no buyer remorse over drinks you do not like.  Place it to the side and order another! The cost is the same to you.

1. Money saver

By far, the best reason Royal Caribbean's unlimited alcohol package is awesome is because it can save you money.

If you do your part to consume enough drinks each day of your cruise, you should be able to come out ahead with the amount of drinks you ordered versus how much those drinks would have cost you if you paid cash.

While the previous seven reasons are all perfectly good rationale for ordering an unlimited alcohol package, the basic point of the package is to ensure you are drinking enough to break even, if not come out ahead.

With the packages, guests can enjoy as many drinks as they like and (hopefully) come home with more money left in their pocket than if they had bought those drinks a la carte.

Do you think Royal Caribbean's unlimited alcohol package is awesome? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Royal Caribbean came away from the 2017 Travel Weekly Asia awards with two big wins.  It was named Best Cruise Line – Asia Pacific and Best Cruise Line - Family at a ceremony in Singapore last evening.

The awards recognize travel companies and individuals for their outstanding achievements and pay tribute to the top travel organizations for their commitment, contributions and accomplishments. The winners were determined by voting by the travel trade and public on 46 categories representing the different segments of the travel industry which include cruise, airline, resort, hotel, destination, travel technology and travel agent.

Sean Treacy, Managing Director, Asia Pacific of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. who accepted the awards said, “These two prestigious awards represent a very significant moment of our 10th year in Asia, and the strong support of our travel partners and customers since Day One. We look forward to offering even more exciting and memorable holiday experiences with our innovative ships and excellent service in the next decade, while making cruising – and Royal Caribbean International – a top vacation choice in Asia.”