Timp1966 Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 First time going on a cruise. Can you pay over time for “packages” ie. drinks, dining over time like the cruise price or do you have to pay all at once? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee02554 Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 extras , dining , drinks excursions have always been separate unless they are " bundled " into your original cruise agreement . but I space mine out over time , excursions this month , dinning next month , there are 4 of us on our next cruise and it seems all the " extras " are going to cost more then the cruise Haha Timp1966 and cruisellama 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 Welcome to the message boards. All purchases in the cruise planner have to be paid in full when you purchase any item. cruisellama and Neesa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 As a first time cruiser on Royal this is a great place to start: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/getting-started PPPJJ-GCVAB, SpeedNoodles, Neesa and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 Our biggest mistake as first time cruisers was not finding this site before we went. PPPJJ-GCVAB, Hagar, dee02554 and 6 others 5 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof4crazytocruise Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 My best advice to first time cruisers is - after you've bought your 'extras' - keep checking the price! It fluxuates and you may be able to save some money later on! Especially the drink package. Buy it at the first price that is acceptable to you - then keep checking! It might go lower and you can cancel your original purchase and repurchase at the lower rate. Same for the excursions. I see random price drops all the time and I just rebook them for the lower price. I've saved a bunch of money doing this. dee02554, Neesa and PPPJJ-GCVAB 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPPJJ-GCVAB Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 I agree with the above responses. My advice (which I learned AFTER my 1st cruise) is to do as much research as possible to prepare and build excitement! Spacing out your cruise planner purchases is a great idea and absolutely keep checking for cheaper prices! Even your cruise price might go on sale and you can call Royal to get that lower price! Hope you enjoy this first cruise...you might end up like most of us...living to cruise!!! Neesa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 For your first cruise I would suggest not buying anything (other than excursions) from the cruise planner until you see if you find you actually need it. Avoid the dining packages until you see the MDR first. Avoid the drink package unless you know you're going to be drinking like fish every day (ie 7+ drinks per day). Avoid the internet package since you'll have opportunities in your ports of call for wifi or the international package of your cell phone carrier. Take the cruise as it is first, then decide "man next time I know we need that." This instead of "man we spent all this extra money and it just wasn't worth it" BeachGal, PPPJJ-GCVAB, teddy and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 5 hours ago, Timp1966 said: First time going on a cruise. Now you've done it. There's no turning back. You'll be hooked! Happy Cruising! emmef and Neesa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 I’m not sure you have to “drink like a fish” to make the drink package worth it. I don’t drink in my everyday life but I enjoy drinking on a cruise. My sweet spot for a drink package is $50 plus 18% tip = $59 per day. Average drink price $12 = 5 drinks per day. I like to start the day with a little Baileys in my coffee or a mimosa (or 2), couple of drinks in afternoon poolside, glass of wine with dinner, couple drinks with evening entertainment. Plus I like specialty coffees, bottles of water, diet ginger ale where available. This more than covers the $59 per day. Would I drink like this at home? God no! But I enjoy it on vacation. Jill, PPPJJ-GCVAB and Momof4crazytocruise 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 25 minutes ago, Pooch said: I’m not sure you have to “drink like a fish” to make the drink package worth it. Totally agree. Over the course of the day, when mixed with coffees, water and other non-alcoholic beverages, there is a strong argument to be made for a drink package that does not rely on downing beers like it's college spring break. Jill, Momof4crazytocruise, 4ensic and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 Which does a good job to illustrate there is no one way to cruise or wrong way to cruise. For some dining packages and drink packages don't make sense, for others they are well worth it. You are not required to spend anymore than the cruise fare to have a great cruise and many times I don't. Other times I like to buy a package and enjoy some things beyond the included options. JimnKathy, PPPJJ-GCVAB and teddy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0_0 Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 Spent almost no extra money on almost all of my cruises. Self-exploration instead of excursions, buying things as they come up, etc. Trying to min/max your vacation before you start can get hectic. You'll have many more chances to experience everything cruising has to offer, so I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to take it all in on your first run through. Only thing I consistently spent money on is the "soda only" packages because I was a 3-4/day minimum soda drinker so cost/benefit made sense. Now that I really don't drink soda, I went ahead with the coffee card because my fiancé and I are consistent latte/coffee drinkers. I know I'll use all the punches on the card and more. 4ensic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 3 hours ago, twangster said: Which does a good job to illustrate there is no one way to cruise or wrong way to cruise. For some dining packages and drink packages don't make sense, for others they are well worth it. You are not required to spend anymore than the cruise fare to have a great cruise and many times I don't. Other times I like to buy a package and enjoy some things beyond the included options. This. I've gone all over the map with what I did / didn't buy on a given cruise. Have never bought a dining package because I just don't find it's worth it. I've bought and not bought the drink package depending on the price vs what I know I can comfortably manage every day of a cruise. I will say that if you're a big specialty coffee (i.e., espresso-based beverage) drinker and also drink lots of bottled water (and maybe like fresh OJ with breakfast), then getting the refreshment package on a good sale (around $20 per day) is usually a good purchase. Even if I don't get the deluxe package, my wife and I almost always find the refreshment one worth it. Other first-time advice I'll give is to not try and do two shore excursions in one day. It's technically possible in some ports, depending on the schedule, but trying to transfer between them on time could be seriously stressful. The times I've seen where it could be done, the end of one excursion was usually at the start time of another, or within only 15-30 minutes at best. Just pick one thing you want to do most and then use whatever time is left in port to just explore close to the port area on your own. BeachGal, Neesa and dee02554 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee02554 Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 3 hours ago, JLMoran said: Other first-time advice I'll give is to not try and do two shore excursions in one day. It's technically possible in some ports, depending on the schedule, but trying to transfer between them on time could be seriously stressful. The times I've seen where it could be done, the end of one excursion was usually at the start time of another, or within only 15-30 minutes at best. Just pick one thing you want to do most and then use whatever time is left in port to just explore close to the port area on your own. Totally agree ,it's a vacation not a competition , relax , besides if there are 2 excursions you REALLY REALLY want to do , you can always take another cruise Neesa, JimnKathy and JLMoran 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimnKathy Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 7 hours ago, twangster said: Which does a good job to illustrate there is no one way to cruise or wrong way to cruise. For some dining packages and drink packages don't make sense, for others they are well worth it. You are not required to spend anymore than the cruise fare to have a great cruise and many times I don't. Other times I like to buy a package and enjoy some things beyond the included options. Yes all the way! We aren't day drinkers, but we do like delicious food and we enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner and maybe one cocktail and/or beer here and there. We can get free water bottles as needed when dining and/or drinking an adult beverage simply by asking for it. We calculated that the Unlimited Dining Package is perfect for us. We get 40% discounts on wine bottles, a great deal on all of the specialty restaurants that we love and can still imbibe that occasional cocktail or two while keeping our alcohol cost well below what we'd pay for the drink package even when it's on a big sale. Since we're not the day drinking type and are happy with the regular coffee in the morning, we're better off spending our additional dollars elsewhere. If I were 25 again, I'd do the Deluxe Beverage Package in a heartbeat, baby! JLMoran and Neesa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 10 minutes ago, JimnKathy said: Yes all the way! We aren't day drinkers, but we do like delicious food and we enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner and maybe one cocktail and/or beer here and there. We can get free water bottles as needed when dining and/or drinking an adult beverage simply by asking for it. We calculated that the Unlimited Dining Package is perfect for us. We get 40% discounts on wine bottles, a great deal on all of the specialty restaurants that we love and can still imbibe that occasional cocktail or two while keeping our alcohol cost well below what we'd pay for the drink package even when it's on a big sale. Since we're not the day drinking type and are happy with the regular coffee in the morning, we're better off spending our additional dollars elsewhere. If I were 25 again, I'd do the Deluxe Beverage Package in a heartbeat, baby! So many options you may want to book another cruise! Neesa, dee02554 and JimnKathy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_KY Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 Great recommendations. One thing that is different for me is Coco Cay. If you want a cabana, you may want to book it early. They move fast. cruisellama, JLMoran and Neesa 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxrunner Posted May 19, 2021 Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 17 hours ago, Bob_KY said: Great recommendations. One thing that is different for me is Coco Cay. If you want a cabana, you may want to book it early. They move fast. The price seems to just go up over time. cruisellama and Bob_KY 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted May 19, 2021 Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 On 5/18/2021 at 4:46 PM, Bob_KY said: Great recommendations. One thing that is different for me is Coco Cay. If you want a cabana, you may want to book it early. They move fast. This brings up an interesting question in the context of the upcoming Adventure and Vision sailings -- with only one ship on the island at a time, and the ships sailing at reduced capacity, standard loungers and umbrellas will be available in massive abundance. Does that reduce the "need" or end value of a cabana in that case? At least at the normal (kinda crazy) pricing? 4ensic and cruisellama 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 19, 2021 Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 2 hours ago, JLMoran said: This brings up an interesting question in the context of the upcoming Adventure and Vision sailings -- with only one ship on the island at a time, and the ships sailing at reduced capacity, standard loungers and umbrellas will be available in massive abundance. Does that reduce the "need" or end value of a cabana in that case? At least as the normal (kinda crazy) pricing? I visited Cococay before it was made Perfect. In the small ship visit concept one visit was on Empress and one visit was on Grandeur back in the tender days when only one ship visited. Both of these ships represent a newer ship at 50% capacity. Loungers were plentiful. It would have been odd to sit right next to a stranger because why would you when there were so many empty loungers? There is more to a cabana than simply a place to sit. You can find value regardless of how many other people are on the island. However no one needs a cabana to enjoy CocoCay. Not then and not now. A cabana ties you down to one place. With loungers plentiful you can move to another spot. Sit in one area in the morning, have lunch then try another area in the afternoon once the sun has shifted or just to find more action or less action. Maybe the wind shifts or the color of the water looks nicer over there. I'd never tell anyone a cabana is a must have. Are they nice? Sure thing. They are great with kids where it can help corral the gang. Thousands visit CocoCay with each ship and 98-99% never get a cabana. JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 20, 2021 Report Share Posted May 20, 2021 1 hour ago, JLMoran said: Does that reduce the "need" or end value of a cabana in that case? At least at the normal (kinda crazy) pricing? I book a cabana to have a dedicated spot for my kids and us with plenty of shade, and more importantly, the service you get. There's definitely plenty of seating around the island, even if you have full ships. It's simply a nice to have perk. JLMoran, cruisellama, JimnKathy and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimnKathy Posted May 20, 2021 Report Share Posted May 20, 2021 15 minutes ago, Matt said: I book a cabana to have a dedicated spot for my kids and us with plenty of shade, and more importantly, the service you get. There's definitely plenty of seating around the island, even if you have full ships. It's simply a nice to have perk. If we were traveling with a larger family/friends group, I think the cabana would be an awesome amenity to have, especially if the cost were split between another couple or two. With just the two of us, the experience found at Coco Beach Club should do the trick for us. Since we have a B2B booked in September, we also booked B2B experiences at Coco Beach Club, too. JLMoran and cruisellama 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditchdoc Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 Don't always follow the crowd. The path less traveled is more serene, less stressful and just as much fun. Find out where you can eat that is not the Windjammer. You will be glad you did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted May 21, 2021 Report Share Posted May 21, 2021 Not a fan of generalizations, I have had the most perfectly cooked roast chicken in the Windjammer. I always make a point of looking for it. I could (and have) literally eaten nothing but a huge plate of it for dinner. I’m sure there are many other dishes served there that are equally delicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zurc Posted May 22, 2021 Report Share Posted May 22, 2021 On 5/18/2021 at 8:12 AM, Matt said: Totally agree. Over the course of the day, when mixed with coffees, water ... The deluxe beverage and refreshment packages that mention inclusion of still or sparkling water keep the verbiage “bottles”. Any clarification if that means hopefully not the cans of water they are trying to sell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditchdoc Posted May 22, 2021 Report Share Posted May 22, 2021 Wasn't a comment on the food but the crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted May 22, 2021 Report Share Posted May 22, 2021 1 hour ago, Ditchdoc said: Wasn't a comment on the food but the crowd. Then you are not wrong! Timing is everything at Windjammer along with patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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