Tips for First Timers

[LJay0301]

Hi All, 

First time cruiser here  

I was hoping to get any tips you all find super helpful for first timers or anything you find makes any part of your trip easier. 

We are sailing Anthem of the Seas Nov 13-20 so far we have purchased the UBP & chose the later 8pm dining time. 

Is the earlier dining time better than the later? Does anyone have opinions on if purchasing  The Key has value or if I need internet?

Any additional tips would be great, I am kind of an over thinker & we planned this kinda last minute (purchased right after Labor Day) 

 

 

[wordell1]

14 minutes ago, LJay0301 said:

Hi All, 

First time cruiser here  

I was hoping to get any tips you all find super helpful for first timers or anything you find makes any part of your trip easier. 

We are sailing Anthem of the Seas Nov 13-20 so far we have purchased the UBP & chose the later 8pm dining time. 

Is the earlier dining time better than the later? Does anyone have opinions on if purchasing  The Key has value or if I need internet?

Any additional tips would be great, I am kind of an over thinker & we planned this kinda last minute (purchased right after Labor Day) 

 

 

Welcome.  My best tip is to really read through the boards and look for ideas that work for you. 

Start here and read through a lot of what Matt posts here

What to expect on your first cruise | Royal Caribbean Blog

 

You asked about dining time and the correct answer is really dependent on you.  If you are a late eater, then the later time is a better choice.  There is also My Time Dining that allows you to go when you want.

The Key is probably not worth it for most people.  Here is Matt's review

Royal Caribbean’s The Key review | Royal Caribbean Blog

[Matt]

 

[LJay0301]

37 minutes ago, wordell1 said:

Welcome.  My best tip is to really read through the boards and look for ideas that work for you. 

Start here and read through a lot of what Matt posts here

What to expect on your first cruise | Royal Caribbean Blog

 

You asked about dining time and the correct answer is really dependent on you.  If you are a late eater, then the later time is a better choice.  There is also My Time Dining that allows you to go when you want.

The Key is probably not worth it for most people.  Here is Matt's review

Royal Caribbean’s The Key review | Royal Caribbean Blog

Thank you so much! Yes I am usually a late dinner eater on land (like 9pm sometimes)

thank you for the links - I have been going through the topic board but I thought best to try and see what others think works best or things they wish they knew before boarding 

[Neesa]

Yay, you will love it! Download the Royal App for sure and familiarize yourself with it. You can view menus and activities as you get closer to sail date. 

Go to your ships Cruise Compass with a similar itinerary on this site and get an idea of how your days can be truly amazing. 

You will probably pack to much! Good news is suit cases can fit under the bed. 

If not in a suite maybe bring your own shampoo/conditioner the stuff they give you in my opinion is a bit drying. 

We usually go to the bank branch or Publix supermarket and bring small bills for gratuities along the way.

Most of all enjoy your sailing, your way!

[LJay0301]

@Neesa So sorry for my late reply 

Thank you for all the tips. My BF grew up cruising so he's a very much used to what to expect (but hasn't been in about 5 years) I am an overthinker/ over packer/ overly anxious about everything so I like to ask for additional advice from other well experienced travelers  for their tips. Yes I will need to bring my shampoo & conditioner, idk how men use all in one stuff lol 

But overall I am looking forward to this new experience & i am hoping to love it, fingers crossed 

[Traveling Mike]

Here are a couple of items I think help:

• Do what you want.  Plan to do everything but don't try to do it.  Take time to relax.
• Don't stay behind your camera taking pictures and video of everything.  The internet is full of pictures of your ship.  Enjoy the ship with your eyes.
• The walls are magnetic.  I like to take magnetic clips to keep my paperwork for the cruise:  Daily planner, reservations, shore excursion tickets...
• Find time to just set at a bar or on the pool deck and just enjoy the day.
• You do not need the internet unless you have someone not on the cruise you need to stay in contact with.
• You can find a Daily Planner for your ship and often cruise to see show times to see what dinner time is best for you.  Here is the link  Royal Caribbean Cruise Compass | Royal Caribbean Blog

[CrimsonCruiser]

On 9/22/2022 at 2:04 PM, LJay0301 said:

We are sailing Anthem of the Seas Nov 13-20 so far we have purchased the UBP & chose the later 8pm dining time. 

Is the earlier dining time better than the later?

I personally am a big fan of My Time Dining rather than one of the traditional seating times. Primarily because of what you were asking in terms of which is better. We've found that we're still full from lunch by 5:30/5:15 but too hungry to wait until 8 so 6:45 - 7:30 is usually better for us. It's also really nice because we can plan our dining around our plans vs our plans around our dining. There's also no "oops you missed your time" for MTD even if you do actually miss your reservation, because you can go to MTD without a reservation (you just may be waiting longer).

 

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Does anyone have opinions on if purchasing  The Key has value or if I need internet?

The Key for just internet I think is an absolute waste. While I've personally never used The Key (we've always stayed in suites and SO many of the perks overlap it's not worth the money for one or two extra things) Matt has posted a wonderful couple reviews on it: