Clear Laker

Prepay gratuities and cruise planner items (speciality dining, internet, drink packages,  and excursions) prior to your cruise.  It will allow you to budget for the most common additional expenses.

Hello all, we just got back from our first cruise HOTS Western Carribean. Since it was our first, we wanted to share things we brought/ bought needed or did not need to help out others. 1- RC luggage tags are a completely a different size and type than flying oron other ships, you only find out 2 weeks before your cruise when your able to print your documents. Check out the picture below before buying the cutesy luggage tags! 2- some rooms Oasis class called “interior” / consider it streerage .. do NOT have doors, have  a type of sliding doors, so the door hanger cubby holes will not hang up in the rooms.  3-  this blog site is awesome, read read read, and on far right you can put hearts and smilely faces on blogs you like. 4-  the Cruise Compass is your friend! Take a picture of every page every day if you do not want to carry  it around. On HOTS, extras are under the stairs by the excursion desk.  Specifically need the times that restaurants are open & what deck they are on. 5- if your completely lost on the ship, the elevator area will give names of the locations & cooresponding decks.A wall ouside of each elevator deck is that deck’s floor plan a “ you are here spot” and where the bathroom is on that deck. 6-Almost all of the restaurants do NOT have bathrooms, go before you go in. 6- bring a disposable raincoat. For HOTS there were umbrella stands and RC umbrellas, but you want your own if your going to a nice diner since several Specialty Restaurants are in the Atrium/ open air area. 7- Bring one long sleeved sweater/ light jacket. Last week it rained most of our cruise, it was cold inside the dining areas & we were wet from running in heals to get to the location. 8- and bring capri or one long pant for mid June Caribbean cruise. 9- we did not need as much bug spray as we brought, look for the small half can of bug stuff..it’s all about small stuff to pack as light a weight as possible.  10- FYI the reef safe sunblock is almost like the consistancy of white paint looking, is confiscated at airport AND required in some countrys like Roatan . Do not buy it on the ship till your sure you port is not cancelled. We were about to pull into port, but Captain cancelled due to waves & high winds (yes 2nd largest ship The Harmony!), my friend had replaced her airport confiscated reef safe sunblock, but did not get to use it $40 bucks gone. 12- Hydrate..its free drink non  alcoholic drinks too . Or buy to try powdered electrolight called liquid IV, as supplements to stay hydrated. 13- If your traveling with different groups, discuss before hand with each other  that your on “couple time”, “only Family time”, “Friend time” , or “Me time” for each event/dinner or bar time. So your not torn trying to divide up your time and the pictures you want of couple or groups for that day. Or friends do not feel ditched for the day. 14- Expect VOOM not to work, tell important persons where you will be in 5 hours so they can plan if your out of communication ( our VOOM was down 2 out of 8 days & spotty the rest of the time RC actually gave us our$ back since it was so unreliable) . 15- Dry erase board for room, if 2 people and only one phone. Hubby slept in, so i went to breakfast ( he does not eat breakfast) and water aerobics  or towel animal making (yes its vacation do something different). Note  where you are going the place & deck and time & meeting pkace/time if you loose eachother.  So not wasting time looking for each other or upset. 16- There are phones around the ship, you can call back to rooms, if needed. 17- Bring dramamine,/ or wrist seaBands. HOTS slightly rocked with the swells the entire first four days ;day and night , sleeping, during dinner, top deck, bottom deck everywhere. I have Vertigo, so it have affected me more, but others were mentioning it too. Gosh this went longer than expected.Hope this helps! Happy cruising

First ignore the recommended time.  Come when you want.
Early is 10 am.  Usually they start checking people in at 10 am.  The early birds get there just before that.  Typically boarding starts around 11 am.  Sometimes a little earlier or later depending on the ships arrival and clearing of the ship.
Upon arrival you go through security (like an airport) then you go into check in lines based on your Crown & Anchor status.  It goes fairly quickly.  From there you go to staging chair areas.  Then you board.

Our last cruise at 92 days prior (final payment is due at 90 days prior) we repriced and changed our cruise from refundable  to nonrefundable.   We saved almost $500.  To us that is real money especially when sailing from San Juan.
 

We have the RC Credit Card.  It's rewards are refundable onboard credit.  We checked the policy with RC.  On 2 sailings we had small amounts remaining that we had to go to Guest Services to collect the night before the end of the cruise so we didn't donate it to RC.  We can confirm this is how it works.  We like to give cash tips beyond Prepaid Gratuities so we take remaining $$ and leave it for stateroom attendant.

We have the RC Credit Card.  It's rewards are refundable onboard credit.  We checked the policy with RC.  On 2 sailings we had small amounts remaining that we had to go to Guest Services to collect the night before the end of the cruise so we didn't donate it to RC.  We can confirm this is how it works.  We like to give cash tips beyond Prepaid Gratuities so we take remaining $$ and leave it for stateroom attendant.

Your daily Gratuities  (or prepaid Gratuities), cover your stateroom attendant, wait staff etc.  When you purchase a drink or drink package you are charged a 18% service charge.  That goes to the servers and bartenders.  Feel free to tip anyone over and above for great service.  Remember that between daily Gratuities and service charges you have already tipped them the standard amount.

It shouldn't be an issue other than charges made by your son going to your bother's Seapass account.  When you do your online check-in set him up to post to a separate account.  I would carry on as if there is 2 to a room.

You may bring your own snorkel gear to CocoCay.
You can use the app on Anthem (RoyalIQ) without buying Voom.  Just download it before you sail and connect to the ship's wifi without buying a Voom plan.  Then you can cancel MTD reservations when needed in the app.
Easy.  Book another cruise.

Xmas and NYE is often an expensive time to fly.  Hotels, cruise fare, airfare, they are all more over holidays.  
I generally find San Juan cruises less than Florida cruises so the savings in cruise fare often pays for the airfare difference in San Juan.  The other benefit to San Juan cruises is an extra port to start with.  San Juan is one of my favorites ports so that's a win even before the cruise has started.

I wasn't aware that they offered that "type" of package.  I always enjoy the Love & Marriage Show where couples talk about "sharing" the shower. 

Just think, some people share the shower.?

You need the round one because there is a third point of contact at the top of the plug.

We absolutely love sailing from San Juan. We sail from there almost every January. The more expensive airfare is worth it to us! We can escape the Kansas City winter in January and immediately be in 85 degree weather as soon as we get there. There is no waiting for it to warm up as you leave another more northern port. We usually make it a back to back sailing because once you have paid for the airfare, you might as well tack on another week for not that much more $! We LOVE port days and getting to visit a different island 6 out of 7 days is amazing! Some people may see it as a negative that the bigger, newer ships don't go out of San Juan. We love Freedom of the Seas and would never say anything negative about it. It will be refurbished January 2020 so that is something to look forward to!
Let me know if you have any questions as we have done both routes and all of the islands many times over. You WON'T be disappointed. 

She will have to get a new Seapass card as the background is different for under 18, 18-20, and 21+.  As stated she can go to Guest Services on her 21st Birthday. 

As a consultant who travels, I do the planning and book the travel, book the packages.  My wife is responsible for planning excursions, site seeing and the schedule on the ship.  Once we leave the house I'm on vacation and don't like to make decisions.  Works for us. 

+1

You can purchase a bucket of beers at the pool bar.  You can take the extras and put in your cabin cooler. 

I have one of these from Amazon.  $13.

It goes into the European power port so it leaves the North American outlets free, it provides two USB charging ports and allows a North American device that can take 220v to be plugged in as well.  You do need to validate that anything you plug in can take 220v.  Fortunately nearly everything I own can.  USB is USB so no worries there.
The only time I was asked about it was boarding in San Juan.  Security saw it on xray, pulled it out of my backpack and asked me if I was from Europe.  I said I was and that was my cell phone charger.  They let me go.  No other port has blinked at it.   

Amen +1

At 123.55 per share, 100 shares min.  You are not going to buy RCL stock for the $100 discount for a 7 night cruise.  But now it is at least a benefit that has some value vs. being non combinable in the past. 

Puerto Rico is a US territory.  No immigration when arriving from the US mainland.
Taxi is probably the best way.  It should be flat rate but they do charge a small amount for every piece of luggage.  Make sure the taxi driver knows you are going to the international pier for Royal Caribbean since there are two cruise piers in San Juan.  The bus transfer through Royal is another option. 
At the end of the cruise when you go to the airport to fly home all luggage in San Juan has to go through agriculture inspection.  Do this before checking in with your airline.  
Old San Juan is a beautiful city full of history.  Hopefully you have time to explore it.  One of the benefits of starting a cruise in San Juan is you get an extra port to start with.  

Type water shoes into Google or Amazon.   you will be amazed at what is available at any price point.

I concur with Jane, I would wait a sailing or 2 "just in case".  Love the Southern Caribbean & Freedom.  Even in Mid March you won't be competing with spring breakers going out of San Juan.