Before you cruise, I want to share the best Royal Caribbean secrets that you can take advantage of on your sailing!

These are the things the cruise line doesn't tell you, but they're a thing you can still do. These are the sort of things only people that cruise a lot would know about.

Because a cruise is a very personalized experience, certain elements of the vacation can be enhanced based on your preferences. Meaning, there are secrets here that might be more valuable to you than someone else.

I came up with a list of things Royal Caribbean doesn't necessarily advertise, but you should know about before you sail.

You'll earn more loyalty points booking solo cruises

Every cruise point represents a night on a ship, although there are some ways to get more points quicker.

Royal Caribbean will give you an extra cruise point per night if you book any suite.

You can also earn an extra cruise point per night if you happen to cruise alone in a cabin. 

When you stay in a suite by yourself, you'll earn 3 points per night. This is the most points you can earn per night on any cruise.

Some people actually book two cabins just to earn points faster.

How to get a table for two in the Main Dining Room

Want a table for just you and your family without sharing it with strangers?

Seating in the Main Dining Room can sometimes involve being seated with other cruisers.  It's a cruising tradition going back decades, and some people really like it as a way to meet new people and make dinner more interesting.

If you booked Traditional Dining and prefer to sit alone, send an email to [email protected] about 2-3 weeks before your cruise and ask for a smaller table for just your party.

Visit the helipad

If you're on a Radiance, Voyager, or Freedom Class ship, the best spot for sailaway is the helipad at the front of the ship.

Located on the bow, guests can walk to the helicopter pad and enjoy the unobstructed views that you can only get from the helicopter pad. The perspective from this spot is hard to beat and many guests do not know it is possible to go here.

To access the helicopter pad, go outside on the outdoor promenade deck and then walk forward, climb up a set of stairs, and continue walking forward until you reach the helicopter pad.

Balcony dividers can be removed

On most Royal Caribbean ships, the balcony dividers are removable.

This is useful if you book two balcony cabins next to each other. By removing the divider, you get an extra large balcony space that feels significantly more spacious.

You can ask your stateroom attendant to do this.  As long as you booked cabins next to each other, they can do this.  

Pack socks and pants for ice skating

On ships that have a ice skating rink onboard, there's open skate sessions offered.

It's free to participate, but you need to wear socks and pants.  On Caribbean cruises, you might not have these items packed with you. 

Use your TV as a nightlight

If you booked an inside cabin, there's no natural light, so a workaround is to use your television.

Tune the TV to the bridge view channel, mute the sound, and you've got a nightlight when the sun comes up.

You can order as much as you want at most restaurants

A lot of new cruisers are unaware there's no limit to the amount of food you can order at the Main Dining Room.

You can order multiple entrees, appetizers, or desserts, and there's no extra charge.  

If it sounds gluttonous, it's really not for two good reasons: first, you might want try a new food or are unsure which dish you might prefer.

Second, serving sizes tend to be on the small side compared to restaurants on land.  I find ordering two entrees is a must-do because I might not feel full with just one.

Moreover, you can order multiples of the same dish.  If you love the French Onion Soup, ask for a second or third!

Your cabin walls are magnetic

Cruise cabin doors and walls are made of metal, which means you can affix magnets to them quite easily.

Heavy duty magnets are helpful to bring on a cruise because you can use them to hang things up, which helps tremendously with clutter around your cabin.

I bring a pack of magnetic hooks with me so I can hang swimsuits, hats, or jackets.  It not only keeps things off the floor or couch, but also frees up space in drawers.

There's a free breakfast room service option

Royal Caribbean charges for room service, except for one breakfast option.

It's easily overlooked, but there's a continental breakfast room service choice that is immune to the normal fee.

This includes pastries, fruit, coffee, and juice and can be delivered to your stateroom free of charge. 

Secret sandwich

On Perfect Day at CocoCay, there's a menu item you have to ask for by name because it's not on the menu.

The Snack Shack has a secret, off-the-menu dish you can ask for by simply requesting "the secret sandwich."

You can top the crispy chicken sandwich with mozzarella sticks and marinara dipping sauce, and you'll end up with a tasty chicken parmesan sandwich.

Try the cooking stations

My favorite thing about the Windjammer are the cooking stations.

The food is here is made the way you want it, and it's cooked on the spot fresh.

At breakfast there is an omelet station. For lunch and dinner, there's usually a rotating option of stir fry, pasta, and more.

Fresh food will always be a step ahead of prepared food, and the cooking stations are my first stop in the Windjammer on every visit.

Johnny Rockets is free for breakfast

Johnny Rockets is a specialty restaurant with a cover charge for lunch and dinner, but it's actually free for breakfast.

On Oasis Class ships only, Johnny Rockets is open for breakfast and it's complimentary.

For breakfast, Johnny Rockets serves up fried or scrambled eggs, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, French toast, omelets and more.

Juice, milk, coffee, tea and hot chocolate are included in the meal as well.

The tap water on a cruise ship is drinkable

Believe it or not, the tap water is not only safe to drink, but probably the cleanest water you'll ever drink.

Every Royal Caribbean ship has a meticulously maintained water treatment/storage system that supplies all of the ships potable water.

Relying on the tap water (or water provided at various drink stations or fountains) is a great money saving strategy.  

One issue with the tap water is it may not be very cold, so ask your room attendant to bring ice to keep in your cabin.

The best time to hit the water slides is embarkation day

Pools, whirlpools, and water slides are available to use on embarkation day, and you’ll often find that they are much less crowded than other days onboard. 

I recommend bringing your bathing suit with you on embarkation day to hit the water slides as soon as you get onboard. The lines will be non-existent because a lot of people packed their bathing suits.

You can change in one of the public restrooms on the pool deck.  Or simply wear your bathing suit onboard as you embark!

How to go faster down the water slides

Royal Caribbean's water slides are fun, but you can make them more thrilling by doing two things.

Cross your arms and legs while going down the slide and arch your back. The less resistance in the water (and slide) that you have, the faster you will go.

You also want to have the least amount of clothing as you go down the slide. Rash guards, t-shirts, and more elaborate swimsuits will result in you slowing down. 

Get cash from the slot machine to avoid a fee

Royal Caribbean charges a fee for cash withdrawals in the casino, unless you're a Prime member or higher in the casino loyalty program.

However, anyone can avoid the fee by going to a slot machine and pulling cash from there.

For some reason, there's no fee when you use the banker feature on a slot machine to get cash. You can then immediately cash out, go to the cashier and exchange it for cash. 

At that point, you can go to the Blackjack table and try your luck, and you'll be up 5%!

There are so many cruise tips for Royal Caribbean, and I bet a few make new cruisers wonder if they really work or not.

I'm so used to relying on many tricks and better approaches to things on a Royal Caribbean cruise that I take it for granted that they simply work.

When I was getting back on Utopia of the Seas after a fun day with friends, I told them to walk past the first set of elevators to the next set. It seemed like we were walking more than we needed, but we waited no time to get one because the other elevator bank was empty.

Tips like this seem almost crazy, but when you try them out, they work a lot better than imagined.

I went through a number of tried-and-true cruise tips and advice to come up with the ones that might sound weird, but they really do make sense once you're on the ship.

Ordering multiple entrees

In almost every restaurant on Royal Caribbean, you're welcome to order more than one entree.  It sounds like the most gluttonous piece of advice, but it works!

Generally speaking, entree sizes are smaller on a cruise ship than you might find on land.  I find this to be true in the Main Dining Room primarily.

Ordering more than one entree is a really good idea to ensure you're not hungry.

Better yet, it's nice to sample different dishes.  Odds are there's going to be more than one thing on the menu that sounds good.

Your waiters will encourage this practice too.  If you even hint at trying to decide between dishes, they'll usually insist on bringing you both.  Or three. 

This is part of why I love to cruise. You get to try new foods and indulge in ones you love.

As a new cruiser, ordering more than one entree feels so unnatural. I rarely, if ever, do that at a land restaurant.

Once you realize it's commonplace on cruises, it becomes a great way to enjoy the very best food Royal Caribbean serves.

Splitting beds makes a small room feel bigger

When someone that cruised much more than me told me they split their beds when they cruise solo, I thought they were crazy.  Turns out, they're right.

Most Royal Caribbean staterooms come with a Royal King bed that can be separated into two twin beds upon request.

When you're in an inside cabin, splitting the beds instead of keeping them together is a cruise hack meant to make it the room feel bigger.

I think the rationale is with the beds split, you get a walkway in the middle of the room between them, which is more useful than a sliver of space around the edges of the cabin.

I've experienced inside cabins with the beds split and together, and I do think it works better with the beds apart.

On newer Royal Caribbean ships, there are cabinets above the bed mounted to the wall, and it's easier to access them with the beds split.

You can ask your Stateroom Attendant to split or combine the beds at any time.

Of course, separate beds may not be your idea of conducive sleeping conditions.  But it will probably help open up the room a bit more.

Staying on the ship while in port

The number one reason people book a Royal Caribbean cruise is the destination, so it might feel wrong to want to not visit the places you're cruising to.

A lot of veteran cruisers will advocate skipping a port and taking advantage of a less crowded ship.

I went on Icon of the Seas with my family for spring break and later regretted we didn't have more time to enjoy what this amazing ship has to offer because we were busy in every port of call.

Some people might struggle with what to do in one particular port, because there isn't an activity or tour that jumps out as a must-do for their taste.

Staying onboard during a port day allows you to take advantage of significantly less crowds, especially at the pool or for the top deck attractions. Water slides, the zip line, rock wall, and more are all far less busy on port days.

When you try it, it feels like being home from school in a way because everyone else is off doing something else. But the advantages are lovely for having the pools (virtually) to yourself.

Magnets add more storage capability

I resisted the advice of so many people to buy magnets for their cruise cabin because I couldn't believe it would help, but I was wrong.

Many people recommend bringing magnets to use in your cabin as a way to improve the storage options, and it's something you'd never consider at any land hotel.

Part of the reason why magnets and not something else is because the walls in your cabin are metal, and you can't use adhesives or anything else that would damage the walls.

A pack of heavy duty magnetic hooks will last forever and you can re-use them on future cruises. (Link is an affiliate link that costs you nothing extra, but I make a small commission if you buy)

It allows you to hang up dresses, hats, bathing suits, shirts, and pretty much a lot of other stuff that would otherwise take up space in drawers or on furniture.

I was skeptical how effective it would work, but it really does the trick.

Take photos of crew member name tags

Royal Caribbean truly values customer feedback, and it's not just a corporate cliché.

In fact, a lot of cruisers often want to give the cruise line their thoughts, and the post-cruise survey is the best way to do that.  

That survey is also the best way to recognize outstanding crew members, but if you're like me, you forget how to spell their name or in some cases their name all together.  

I saw cruisers taking photos of crew member name tags and thought that's silly.  But in reality, getting home and not remembering that amazing bartender or cabana host's name is silly on my part.

Ask them to take a photo of their name tag so it's easier to remember later for the survey.  They'll be more than happy to let you do that.

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."

The summer cruise season is about to begin, and it brings a series of changes cruisers should be aware of before they travel.

I have five cruises planned for this summer (and maybe more to come), and as I started planning things out, it became clear there are some new things to take into account.

I'm an over planner and I like to prep as much as I can in the months leading up to my cruise. I actually think it's fun to plan a cruise out, as it gives me an outlet for my pent up excitement about the vacation.

Here are 4 changes coming to cruises this summer anyone with a sailing should think about before the trip starts.

Real ID matters, but not for a cruise

The hot button change coming to all of travel in the United States this summer is the Real ID rule mandate.

Beginning May 7, there will be new security standards for driver's licenses and state identification cards. The change applies to enhancing federal standards, including passing through airport security checkpoints.

This means if you're flying within the United States for your cruise vacation, you need to double check your driver's license meets this standard or you'll be denied entry at the airport.

If you have a passport, you can use that instead.

While these rules apply to air travel, you don't need a Real ID for a cruise vacation specifically.

Cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, allow U.S. citizens sailing round trip from the same U.S. homeport (that doesn't include a visit to Panama, Colombia, or Martinique) can sail with government-issued photo ID  and a birth certificate.  

I strongly recommend everyone cruise with a passport, but technically there's an alternative for Americans on select itineraries.

Don't wait to book a last-minute cruise

If a summer cruise sounds like a great vacation, don't wait another minute to book it.

Royal Caribbean executives said prices go up for last-minute cruise bookings, and it's a good enough reason to book your cruise as early as possible.

The cruise line doesn't slash prices of unsold cabins at the last minute. Rather, they're hiking prices to take advantage of anyone trying to squeeze a cruise in right before it starts.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty explained this tactic during his company's first quarter earnings call last week, "We see...an uplift in demand as we get very close in. Not only do we see an uplift in demand, we're also about to raise our pricing during that period of time."

This means you're going to want to book that summer cruise now, and now try to wait it out any longer.

Even if you don't care about higher prices, the reality is cabins left for a summer cruise are dwindling.

The company said about 86% of the 2025 cruise inventory is booked already. 

You're going to want to act quickly and book a vacation now before prices go up again.

US citizens now need to pay to enter the UK

If you are cruising the United Kingdom or your ship visits a UK port, there's a new fee and step to take.

As of January 2025, travelers coming into the UK need to obtain a new electronic travel authorization to enter the country. This applies to all visitors (regardless of age) who can travel there visa-free, including Americans.

The ETA application cost is 10 pounds ($13) and will be valid for multiple visits up to a maximum duration of six months over two years.

You need to apply before your start travel and there's a requirement to upload a photo.

Officials claim it will take up to 3 business days to obtain clearance, but in our experience, it's complete in a matter of minutes.  Regardless, don't wait until the day before your trip to do it.

It's easy to apply using the ETA app, available on iOS and Android.

Don't bring your speaker to CocoCay

A new rule change that was first spotted during Spring Break is Royal Caribbean doesn't want you bringing your speakers to its private island.

There are four rules the cruise line posted in its digital Cruise Compass on the day your ship visits Perfect Day at CocoCay.

1. Swim diapers are required for pools and Splashaway Bay for toddlers and infants
2. Don't feed the seagulls
3. No fishing
4. No glass bottles or personal speakers

While the other rules aren't that new, the prohibition on personal speakers is a change to be aware of for your visit this summer.

I can assume this rule is in place to prevent someone's music impacting someone else's ability to enjoy their day.

Cruise vacations aren't necessarily cheap, especially on the new Royal Caribbean ships. 

Depending on when you sail, how many people are going with you, and the specific itinerary you select all contribute to driving up the cost of your cruise fare.

Then there's the price of food, which may increase your vacation budget. Royal Caribbean includes a lot of meals in your vacation, but there's the option to spend more too.

However, there are a few strategies to do Royal Caribbean on a budget and advice you can follow to keep some extra money in your pocket to spend on a fun shore excursion or even a new sailing.

Here are five Royal Caribbean food hacks that will save you money.

Bring a reusable water bottle

You're going to get thirsty on your cruise, even on sailings to not-so-warm destinations.  And if you're headed to the Caribbean, all that heat and humidity will drain you quickly.

You could spend money on buying water by the plastic bottle onboard, but there's an easier option. To save money, bring your own refillable water bottle instead.

There are water stations that cost nothing to use around your ship.  There's always one at Cafe Promenade/Cafe Latte-Tudes/Pearl Cafe that you can use.  

Royal Caribbean won't allow you to directly fill the water bottle, but you can easily use one of the plastic cups to transport it into your cup.

The top favorites among cruisers are the same ones you probably have seen at home: Stanley Cups, Yeti Cups, or Hydroflask are all excellent ideas. (Contains an affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use). 

If you are bringing one of these cups, I've seen more and more cruisers also getting a water bottle holder with them so you don't have to hold it all the time. This makes taking it around the ship far more convenient.

Not only will bringing a reusable water bottle save you money on paying for water bottles, you will be able to stay hydrated a heck of a lot easier.

You can bring snacks from home

You won't go hungry on a Royal Caribbean ship because of how much is included in your cruise fare, but that doesn't mean your favorite snacks are offered.

It wasn't until I had kids that I saw the value in bringing snacks on my cruise.

It's so convenient to have the snacks my kids like in my cabin.  I'm talking Goldfish crackers, Pringles potato chips, toddler snacks, and more.

The rule is it just has to be a sealed snack bag, so unfortunately, you cannot bring leftovers or fruit with you onboard.

For adults, how about your favorite chocolates, protein bars, nuts, and other handy snacks you might like to have in your room?

One tip is to not bring those snacks off the ship with you.

Many countries have strict rules about taking food off the ship, so keep them to enjoy in your stateroom.

Look for wandering waiters trying to sell you a reservation

Specialty restaurants all cost extra, but there could be a way to enjoy them without paying full price.

This is a "YMMV" type hack, but if you ever spot a restaurant waiter walking around the Royal Promenade, Centrum or near the Windjammer and he or she is offering to make a reservation, you should be prepared with this question:

"Can I get a discount if I book with you right now?"

Their job is to drum up business for new restaurant bookings, so it doesn't hurt to ask for a discount.

They may offer you half off, a free bottle of wine, or some other money saving option.

Sometimes they need to call their manager to ask, but you won't know until you ask.

Typically, I see most of these waiters on embarkation day.  The first day of a cruise is usually the least busy at specialty restaurants, so keep an eye out for them.

Eat at lunch instead of dinner

Another specialty restaurant tip is to consider lunch to save money.

In some cases, the cost of lunch is cheaper than dinner and it's practically the same menu.

Plus, it’s usually less crowded then going for dinner.

A great example of this is Izumi Hibachi, where dinner costs $70 onboard the ship for dinner, but lunch costs $40.  It's the exact same menu and experience.

Giovanni's is usually cheaper too for lunch, and it's menu is nearly identical.  Ditto for Chops Grille or Hooked. 

The Mason Jar has a different brunch menu from dinner, but it's also cheaper for the former than the latter.

Skip dining packages

Don't assume you need a dining package to have great meals on your cruise.

From a pure money saving perspective, you'll find lots of good food in both the Main Dining Room or Windjammer buffet.

The Windjammer has a lot of international cuisine offered, including fabulous Indian options and even cooking stations.

If thou wants a great vacation, thou shalt follow the most important pieces of travel advice.

I'm asked every week for cruise advice when I host a YouTube live video every Monday night. It's an opportunity to give recommendations to specific situations, but there are certain truths that are applicable to just about everyone.

While some advice is going to vary on how effective or useful it is based on the person, there are a core set of travel guidelines I think everyone should follow because the consequences could be dire for your vacation.

The beauty of a cruise vacation is you don't have to plan a lot to have a great time. However, the more you do plan ahead, the better your experience will be overall and you'll probably save money too. Plus, you're far more likely to avoid common pitfalls.

In thinking about the breadth of cruise advice I can provide, I came up with the 10 most important cruise tips possible that apply to just about everyone. 

I hope these tips will save your sanity, reduce your vacation cost, and get you time back during your vacation.

1. Book your cruise early to get the lowest price

There are a lot of approaches to getting a better price on your cruise, but the one that seems to work the best is to book as early as you can.

Prices tend to go up over time, so if you can book a cruise a year or more in advance, you'll probably get a better price.

Cruise lines price their sailings based on a few factors, but how quickly a ship sells and the amount of remaining unsold cabins are among the top considerations. As more people book a cruise, there are less cabins left and the price goes up.

If you can book a cruise more than 12 months early, you'll be able to take advantage of a wider selection of cabins and competitive prices. 

There are last-minute cruise deals out there, but they rarely line up with the exact week you want to vacation. Worse yet, the choice of staterooms is likely going to be crummy.

For residents of the United States, Canada, Australia, and other select countries, you can re-price the cruise up until final payment date if there's a price drop.

2. Book your flight a day early and your flight home late

One of the worst mistakes you can make is to book your flight the same day your cruise begins.

You never want to fly the same day your cruise is scheduled to depart because a flight delay or cancellation means you could miss your cruise vacation, and there's no refund when you no-show for it.

Instead, fly in at least one day before the cruise begins. For international cruises, I'd bump that up to two or three days ahead of time.

Yes, coming in earlier means extra hotel and incidental costs, but it's better than risking your entire vacation on flights being on time.

There are horror stories of travelers who failed to heed this advice and ended up missing their cruise. It's something I unfortunately see all the time, and it's easily preventable.

3. Buy everything you need before the cruise begins, and re-price it along the way

There are lots of add-ons for a cruise, and you'll want to buy them all before it begins.

Instead of waiting to buy it on the ship, you should buy it before it begins on the Royal Caribbean app or website for two important reasons.

First, you'll save money because Royal Caribbean regularly discounts its offerings before the sailing.

There are sales and pre-cruise discounts offered on drink packages, shore excursions, wifi, and more. So book it when you know you need it and lock in the price.

The second reason to pre-book is if there is a new sale that lowers the price, you can always cancel and rebook it.

If you're thinking why not wait until closer to the cruise to actually book the add-on, the issue is prices can go up.  

By booking early and re-pricing later, you assure you always have the best price.

Moreover, some things will sell out before the cruise begins, such as shore excursions or dining packages.

4. Buy travel insurance for any cruise you take

I know travel insurance is an extra cost, but it's worth protecting your family vacation with it.

Insurance is super useful for many scenarios you never expect to run into, and then it's the best money you ever spent.

Travel insurance covers your medical needs, as well as travel delays, injuries, family obligations, and all sorts of reasons why you need to end your vacation early.

I've see too many situations where a family encountered bad luck and it could have made the issue better with travel insurance to back them up.

5. Do the entire online check-in

The last thing you want to do when you arrive at the cruise terminal on the first day is waste time instead of being on the ship.

Just like an airplane, you can complete the online check-in via the cruise line app to expedite the process when you arrive on embarkation day.

Royal Caribbean wants to get you on the ship as fast as possible, so they've enhanced the app to speed up boarding. 

If you take a few minutes at home to do all the check-in steps, you'll spend less time in the cruise terminal and get on the ship faster.

That means filling in all your personal information, scanning your passport, taking a selfie, and entering your credit card information.

6. Use a travel agent to book the cruise

Do you want to save money and time? Using a good travel agent is a must-do, in my opinion.

The value of a travel agent goes beyond booking the cruise, because anyone can do that.  It's the depth of experience they bring, and ability to find the lowest possible price that are why they're so useful.

While travel agents aren't as popular in other forms of travel as they used to be, they remain quite useful with cruises because a cruise vacation is such a personalized vacation.

There are many decisions related to fare types, cabin selection, discount, ship choice, and more. New cruisers can easily miss an important factor, while those that cruise a lot could benefit from wasting less of their own time going back and forth with the cruise line.

If you've tried a travel agent but didn't like that, that just means you haven't found the right one yet.  It's like a good restaurant, you can't give up eating out completely because you went to one bad restaurant.

Ask friends and family which travel agents they use and recommend, and work with one.

7. Pick your ship based on what you want to do

Too many cruisers pick a cruise based on it being the newest, biggest, or cheapest, without realizing they're picking the wrong ship for them.

There isn't an inherently bad Royal Caribbean ship to sail on, but there might be a better ship for your family.

Every cruise ship is not the same, and they don't all include the same activities, dining choices, or things to do onboard.

So what you want to do is research what the ship has to do, and what it doesn't have, and then pick one based on your needs.

When you chase the lowest price and end up on a small, old ship, it's not going to have many restaurants and very few top deck attractions.

Likewise, the newest ship is going enormous and sail to places you might not care about.

I can't tell you how many times I hear someone was disappointed in a cruise ship because it didn't measure up to the one they expected or sailed on previously. Having the right expectations is important.

8. Find and book excursions before the cruise begins

There are going to be dozens of things to do in any port your ship visits, and it's so much easier to find the right one when you research it from home.

The destinations a cruise go to are among the top reasons anyone books a cruise vacation. With only a few hours in each port, that leaves little wiggle room for disappointment.

My advice is take some time and look up ideas for what to do, and the right tour operator. You can book shore excursions with Royal Caribbean or with a third-party company. There are advantages to both, but you need to do your homework.

9. If your ship allows you to pre-book entertainment, do it

On Royal Caribbean's biggest cruise ships, you'll be able to book tickets to the shows onboard and you really should do it as soon as possible.

There is limited capacity for these shows, and no cost to pre-book, so you'll want to do so.  Usually entertainment opens up about 30 days before a cruise begins, and it's only available on the Oasis, Icon, and Quantum Class ships.

If you're sailing on other classes of ships, you can't and don't need to book entertainment.

Reservations will sell out, but don't let that stop you from going anyway. There's a standby line for each show, and you can usually get in if you arrive at least 30 minutes before the show begins.  Moreover, there can be additional tickets you can book once you get on the ship and connect to the ship's WiFi and then open up the Royal Caribbean app.

10. Be flexible

You can follow every commandment so far and still run into a problem or unexpected issue during your cruise, so it's critical to be flexible.

The spontaneity of a vacation is part of it's appeal, but it's also why sometimes things don't go as planned. 

The key is roll with the punches and not let an issue ruin the rest of your trip.

You'll want to mitigate the problem and speak to a crew member to help, depending on the severity of it.  

But if it's out of your hands, like bad weather, choosing the wrong tour, or wasting money on something onboard, you should chalk it up to bad luck and move on. Grab a drink, sleep it off, or laugh about it and try to make the rest of the trip better.

I've run into very frustrating experiences over the years while I've cruised, but I've made an effort to never let it get to me and become a major disaster. 

A sea day on a cruise ship is one of the best things about going on a cruise because of how many choices you have in spending your day, but I've seen far too many passengers mess it up with the wrong approach.

Most cruises have at least one sea day where the ship makes its way to the next port, but spends the day out on the ocean.

I used to hate sea days when I first started cruising because I wasn't properly taking advantage of them.  It's a great opportunity to experience everything Royal Caribbean ships have to offer, and that's important when you sail on a ship like Wonder of the Seas or Icon of the Seas that has so many things to do.

Ultimately, it's your choice what the best use of your time is, but I think passengers miss out on benefiting the most from their sea day when they do certain things.

There isn't necessarily right or wrong things to do, but I'd recommend not making these mistakes.

Not checking the weather forecast

Forget everything else in this article, if there's going to rainy or cold (or both) on a sea day, that will greatly impact your plans.

At some point the evening before your sea day, you'll want to look up the weather forecast for the day.

If you bought the internet package, you can check a host of apps that work well for this. The Windy app allows you to tap wherever in the ocean and it’ll tell you the forecast.

The easiest way to get the forecast for "the middle of the ocean" is to look at the digital Cruise Compass.

Each day there's a new Cruise Compass available to view, even if you don't have a WiFi package.  It lists the forecast on the first page.

Overlooking specialty restaurants for lunch

There's nothing wrong with eating at the cruise buffet for lunch, but don't overlook specialty restaurants.

If I'm on a ship with Playmakers Sports Bar, I make it a point to eat there for lunch because it's the perfect sea day meal.

There could be other specialty restaurants open too for lunch, and many cost less for lunch than dinner.

Missing out on fun activities

FOMO is real on a cruise ship, and sometimes there's an event held only once during your sailing.

Not checking the list of activities for what's coming up that day is a mistake as well, especially events before noon. Opportunities to meet the Captain, learn about how the ship works, and other behind-the-scenes events takes place on sea days and in the morning.

There's also going to be the most activities on a sea day, so this is your chance to get in on them. Looking at the full list ahead of time means you don't miss out on a favorite.

The Royal Caribbean app lists it all, and it's the easiest way to quickly see what looks good and you can even add a reminder for it.

Trying to do too much

While I just mentioned all the fun things to do onboard, I think you want to avoid overdoing it too.

It's debatable how relaxing a sea day should be, but I think trying to squeeze too much in may also lead to that feeling you're "burning the candle on both ends."

This is more of a problem on port intensive itineraries in Europe, Asia, or Alaska, where you want to prioritize time on land.  Sea days are a great way to relax and recharge.

Getting sunburned

It's one thing if you get sunburned at the beach, but getting sunburned on a sea day when sunscreen is a short walk back to your cabin is silly.

It happens all the time, but you really should avoid getting sunburned at all costs.

It'll be painful, and it's so easily avoidable. 

If you forgot to pack some, they sell it in the general store onboard. You probably could borrow some from another passenger, if you asked politely.

Not taking seasick medicine

The highest chance of getting seasick is probably on a sea day, so make sure you take medication for it.

It's unlikely you will get seasick, especially if the weather is favorable.  But I recommend new cruisers take a daily seasickness tablet, just to be safe.

Waking up too early

There have been a few days when I got up too early because I was so excited for a day of fun, and then by 11am, I was ready for a long nap.

There isn't anything wrong with napping during  your cruise, but you also don't want to miss out on prime time activities.

If you're normally an early riser, then this is fine.  What I'm talking about are the people who specifically get up early and then crash later.

Going late to the pool

If you value spending your sea day at the pool, don't be late getting there.

When the sun is shining, everyone else on your ship seems to have the same idea and chairs near the pool go quickly.

You don't need to get up at dawn to get a chair, but if being at the pool is important to you, I would plan to be at the pool deck by 10am at the latest.

There's a little more flexibility if you don't mind chairs further away from the actual pool and in the shade.

Wasting money at the spa

If you are going to get a spa treatment during your cruise, it will almost certainly cost less on a port day

Sea days are when everyone else has lots of time, so demand for the spa is highest.

What you should do is skip the spa on a sea day and book it for a port day. 

Remember, it still counts if you go there in the final hours the ship is docked. So you could go right after your shore excursion and take advantage of the port day price specials.

Not partying late the night before

For those that are looking for the right evening to "go hard", then it's the day before a sea day.

Because you can sleep off a hangover, make sure you prioritize the night before a sea day for those antics.

Missing out on an uncrowded casino

One of the top complaints about the casino on any Royal Caribbean cruise is how crowded it can get there.

The casino will be open while your ship is at sea, and it's notably less crowded during the morning and day of a sea day.  

It'll fill back up in the evening, but take advantage of the open machines while the sun in shing in the casino.

Skipping trivia

I think you're missing out if you don't attend a few trivia sessions.

Royal Caribbean offers all kinds of trivia, and you'll find probably one trivia session every couple of hours on a sea day.

My favorites are the Royal Caribbean trivia, geography trivia, and visual trivia. They're different from the norm, and it's a great sea day activity.

Refusing to nap

If your body is tell you to nap, you should do it.

I know it sounds counter-intuitive to enjoying everything the ship has to offer, but you also don't want to crash at 8pm.  Or be half awake for most of the day.

A good power nap of 45 minutes can work wonders for rejuvenating you for more fun that day.

Not exploring the ship

Royal Caribbean ships are really big, so take time to see it all.

Ideally, you can tour the ship on embarkation day, but you probably didn't get to see it all.  Or some areas were closed.  So a sea day is a great time to see the rest of it.

Walk the decks, peek your head into a shop, and generally see what's around the next corner.  

Not taking advantage of the internet package for the day

If you didn't buy an internet package for your entire cruise, you could buy a 24 hour pass and a sea day is a great time to maximize the value.

The 24 hour pass is available to book only when you get onboard, but since you won't have a shore excursion, you can take full advantage of it.

Plus, you could log out and let family use it too.

Don't forget as a Diamond or Diamond Plus member in Crown and Anchor Society, you're entitled to free internet to use as well.

Missing out on a sunset selfie

That perfect sunset to share on Instagram? There's a good chance of it on a sea day.

While beautiful sunsets can happen in port too, at least at sea there won't be any obstacles.

Knocking out any of your must-dos

This list was meant to offer ideas for what to do on a sea day, but it's also a good reminder a sea day is when you should try to do the things you first intended to do.

If you're like me, you picked a cruise ship because you saw certain activities or attractions onboard that you said "I need to do that!".  If so, you'll want to take advantage of the sea day for it.

I've come back from far too many cruises with regret that I didn't get to do the one or two things that I really wanted to try. It's easy to get sidetracked or fall into the trap of "I'll do it later".

Take advantage of a sea day and get whatever you had your heart set on done.

If you're like me, you love discovering new cruise tips to maximize your vacation, but some of them just don't work as well as they sound.

There are plenty of tried and true cruise tips that cruisers swear by because of how effective they are: fly in a day early for your cruise, invest in magnets for your cabin, research shore excursions, and book your cruise as early as possible.

I've tried many different so-called secrets, but some of them just aren't as effective as I thought they would be and it was a disappointment.

In retrospect, some cruise tips are more effective based on your personality and travel style. As an example, saving money by booking an inside cabin is a great piece of advice, unless you're claustrophobic or always stay in upscale hotel rooms.

I reviewed the tips and advice I've heard over the years and came up with my list of 8 cruise tips that made sense until I got on the cruise ship.

Avoiding overpacking

A lot of people advocate to avoid overpacking for a cruise vacation, and I think this is rooted in avoiding hefty luggage costs with the airlines than truly benefitting you on a cruise ship.

The travel world has become obsessed with minimalist packing, where you travel with as little luggage as possible.  Perhaps you've heard of cruising with just a carry-on suitcase?

I have to admit I got caught up in this trend and started packing less and less so that I could re-use clothing on the ship. There is some truth to the idea you have to have an entire outfit every night for dinner, plus a daytime outfit.

However, I found packing less clothing gave me more anxiety than satisfaction.

It felt like I was rationing clothes and subsequently justifying to myself I could re-wear that pair of jeans or shirt because, "it's not that dirty yet."

Of course I could use Royal Caribbean's laundry services, but it's pricey and takes a day or longer to get back to you.

Ultimately, I realized minimalist packing is fine for some, especially those flying low cast carriers that want to avoid fees.  But I don't fly Spirit, Frontier, or Breeze.  Heck, I rarely fly to my cruises because I live in Florida.

Moreover, when I do fly, I'm going to inevitably need to pay for one piece of luggage per person travelling. So I'll maximize that suitcase.

Not paying for internet access on the ship

One commonly cited piece of cruise advice is to skip buying an internet package in order to save money.

There's no free WiFi on a cruise ship (beyond using the Royal Caribbean app), and a package for the duration of your cruise will probably cost over $100 per person. So this compels some to advocate not buying internet at all.

While there's no doubt not buying an internet package will save money, I just don't find it practical at all.

Admittedly, I'm a geek and being on the internet is more important to me than perhaps other people.

I think it's only when you don't have internet access at all that you realize how many little things you rely on the internet for, besides email and web browsing.

Texting with family, checking weather forecasts before you leave the ship, and paying bills on time are all little things that are great to have the internet for on a cruise.

Plus, I don't equate internet access with being any more or less relaxed. There are plenty of distractions on a cruise ship beyond the internet, so besides not checking your work email, I think having WiFi provides another form of entertainment in addition to books, magazines, or movies.

I'm all for saving money, but I can't skimp on WiFi.

Skipping shore excursions and staying onboard

Something you hear from a lot of experienced cruisers is to stay on the ship during ports of call in order to take advantage of what's available onboard.

The rationale for this tip is that you could save money on a costly shore excursion, plus there's already plenty of entertainment and activities to do on the ship.  And with so many people off the ship, lines and waits for the top activities are much less, such as waterslides.

There's truth to this recommendation, except I feel cooped up when I'm on the ship instead of exploring or just doing something in port.

I love to cruise because of the amazing places I get to visit, and it seems counterintuitive to skip out on the fun things to do in port.

Granted, if there's a port I've been to a dozen times, I may not feel that compelled to go and walk around.  But whenever I've tried this tip and stayed on the ship, I feel like I'm a dog starring longingly out the window with dreams of going outside.

The workaround for this tip is to do both. Get off the ship early and do something, but get back onboard early and you can still take advantage of less lines.

Eat only at the complimentary restaurants

Another money saving tip you'll run across is to skip the extra cost specialty restaurants and only eat at the included options.

The longer the sailing, the less I agree with this tip because I really like variety in my dining.

While specialty dining does indeed cost more, I'm on vacation and not trying to save money on my lunches at work. Splurging is part of what makes vacation fun.

I do enjoy dinners in the Main Dining Room or Windjammer, but once I get to day 4 or 5 of the cruise, I'm usually ready to change things up just a bit.

Having a few sushi rolls at Izumi, ordering a bowl of pasta at Giovannis, or getting a burger and nachos at Playmakers is a guilty pleasure that I'll go for every time.

Bidding to upgrade your cabin

I love the idea of paying less to get more, but I've stopped bidding for my stateroom upgrades.

If you're very flexible and don't really care where your room is located, then RoyalUp might be fine for you.  But I can't get past a couple of issues with it.

My first problem with RoyalUp is just because there is an option to bid doesn't actually mean there is a room to upgrade to, and I think a lot of new cruisers miss that detail.

The reason why Royal Caribbean offers these bid upgrades is primarily to account for last-minute cancellations.  So the bid you're making is really a backup option if someone decides to cancel.

The more troubling problem with RoyalUp is should your bid be accepted, you can't select where your room is located.

I think it's really important to pick a good cabin location to avoid noise problems, and you lose that ability once RoyalUp takes over.  A winning bid means the cruise line will pick where your cabin is located.

Waiting to book another cruise until you get onboard

You can get extra onboard credit and reduced deposit by booking a cruise on a ship, but I think it's a mistake to wait to book a cruise until your next cruise.

The problem with booking a cruise at NextCruise is if you know in the weeks or months leading up to your cruise which cruise to book.  By waiting until you get onboard the ship to book it, the price may increase to the point it offsets the benefit of getting extra onboard credit.

Royal Caribbean cruise prices are fluid and can change at anytime.  Over the course of days, weeks, or months, the price will almost certainly increase.

My advice is if you know there's a cruise you want to book now, go ahead and contact your travel agent to book it now. 

NextCruise is great for when you're on the ship and are struck with the motivation to suddenly book another cruise. In that case, you should definitely go and book the cruise at NextCruise.

Booking the cheapest cabin

Cutting corners and saving money where you can is definitely a sound financial strategy, but you also have to weigh the pros and cons of going cheap versus enjoying your well-deserved vacation.

It can be difficult to know if you should book the cheapest room on a cruise or spend extra for a nicer cabin.

If you shop by price alone, you may end up with a cruise cabin that you're stuck with for the duration of the cruise. There's nothing inherently wrong with an small inside cruise ship cabin, but it may clash with what you're used to on land.

Cruise ship cabins are typically much smaller than hotel rooms on land, and the smallest rooms on a ship are really small, coming in at less than 300 square feet.  If you're sharing this space with someone else, then the lack of space can really become problematic.

Everyone has a vacation budget, but be realistic about your cabin choice so you don't end up walking into your room and then realize you've made a mistake.

Pack an over-the-door organizer

There are so many good inside cabin hacks out there, but one I tried and won't ever do again is bring an over-the-door organizers.

This is a classic "sounds better than it is" scenario because you go to the dollar store and buy one of these and put it on the back of your cabin door or bathroom door.

The idea is to add more storage options, especially for shoes and toiletries.

I found the thing flops around too much on a cabin door, which lead to things falling out all the time.

Plus, unless you're sailing on a really old cruise ship, I just don't have that kind of a problem with finding storage.  Especially if your cruise is less than a week.

A far better tip is to invest in cruise magnets to help get clutter off the floor, and it works better for my style of cruising.

Of all the extra fees that come with a Royal Caribbean cruise, one in particular seems to be more problematic because of how easy it is to get overlooked.

It's no secret that the Royal Caribbean cruise fare does not include everything during your trip. Alcohol, shore excursions, souvenirs, and the spa all cost extra and for the most part, that comes as no surprise to new cruisers.

The one fee that seems to "get" people the most is the unreturned pool towel fee, and it's far more prevalent than you might think.

The cruise line offers as many pool towels as guests would like to use during the sailing, but they all need to be returned before the conclusion of the cruise.

The official policy states, "If guests do not return the same number of towels they checked out, a $25.00 fee per unreturned towel will be added to their onboard account. "

Sounds simple enough, but a lot of cruisers overlook ensuring their towels get back - and they are recorded as returned.

"Check your final invoice, you probably got charged"

On Reddit, IJustWorkHere99 shared a warning to other cruisers why you want to verify you don't have any towels left unreturned prior to the end of the cruise.

This person returned to their ship after a fun day at Royal Caribbean's private island of Perfect Day at CocoCay with towels they borrowed from the ship to use during the day.

Upon returning to the ship, they thought they returned the towels properly, but it didn't get recorded.

"We were met just after security by two crew members accepting pool towel returns. They did NOT scan anyone's SeaPass or write down stateroom numbers for accountability of the towels," the person posted.

According to the post, the crew members were trying to expedite the return process because bad weather had forced everyone back early and they didn't want a huge line.

"They assured us that we would not be charged for the towels and that everyone's' accounts would be zeroized for towels that evening."

Sure enough, it turned out they got charged for the towels.

"Well guess what happened? They charged my mom $25 for a pool towel and they charged me $100 for 4."

A lot of other past cruisers reported similar situations.

"Family we were traveling with on Icon got slapped with the towel fine twice, even though I was with them the entire time that day and watched them scan and return," wrote Julianus.

"We had a random towel charge right before leaving that morning. Still waiting for the credit to come through," added theresketo.

Downtown-Ball6994 actually had $300 in pool towel charges after the cruise ended because of a mix-up in how returned pool towels were scanned, "It turned out that when the attendant scanned my wife’s card, instead of returning the towels that I checked out, it checked out an additional 6 towels to her."

"It took a few days to get the charge removed because they said that they had to call the ship and verify what happened."

What to do if you get charged for towels

The first thing to do is verify there are no unreturned towels on your onboard account before you debark the ship.

To verify you're in the clear, you just need to go to Guest Services and ask them to confirm it.

It takes a few seconds to do so, and you should go over on the last day of the sailing to make sure you're walking off the ship without any surprise charges.

In fact, having Guest Services print out a summary of all your charges on the last day is a good idea to verify there are no surprises waiting for you.

If you don't realize you are getting charged for unreturned towels until you get home, the good news is you can still call and get it fixed.  It just takes longer to process this.

If you returned all checked-out towels but still received a charge, you can call Royal Caribbean's Post Cruise department at 1-800-256-6649 to assist with taking care of it.

It's much easier and faster if you can double-check the charges before you leave the ship.

Why do they charge for towels at all?

You might wonder why Royal Caribbean charges for unreturned towels, and it has to do with reducing waste.

The cruise line doesn't think guests covet towels enough to want to steal them and bring them home. After all, they're not great quality to begin with and have been reused many times.

The origin of the rule has to do with passengers leaving them behind in port, or elsewhere, rather than returning them.

If passengers leave towels behind at a beach somewhere, not only is it wasteful and littering, but it's quite noticeable where the trash is coming from to the locals.

The fee makes sure the towels get back to the ship, and not left for the local population to have to take care of.

Don't pack your own towels

Some people might be reading this article and think bringing your own pool or beach towels is a great workaround, but I think that's overkill for the problem.

Royal Caribbean offers towels for you to use onboard the ship or to bring to a shore excursion, and it's a terrific service (despite the issue of occasionally not recording those towels were indeed returned).

I don't recommend bringing your own towels because not only are they going to take up a lot of room in your luggage, but once they are soiled, it's going to be difficult to properly clean them.

It's my experience wet towels take a long time to air dry, especially if you don't have access to the outdoors.  

Even if you have a balcony, then you need to ensure they don't fly away due to the wind or get soiled again from a passing rain shower.

Let's put it this way: going to Guest Services is a lot easier than packing and caring for a bunch of pool towels.

Royal Caribbean Blog staff members cruised over 50 times in 2024, sailing on dozens of vessels to countless ports around the world. As professional cruisers, we certainly know the ins and outs of cruising. That being said, there are always lessons to be learned on any cruise vacation.

Whether sailing on the world’s largest ship, Icon of the Seas, or on one of Royal Caribbean’s smallest ships, Vision of the Seas, our team followed a wide range of cruise tips throughout the year.

From stocking up on cheap cruise essentials to opting out of Royal Caribbean's shore excursions, here are the top 10 cruise tips that worked for our Royal Caribbean Blog staffers in 2024.

Calista booked non-Royal Caribbean shore excursions to save money

Royal Caribbean Blog writer Calista took 7 cruises in 2024, trying out new ships like Utopia of the Seas and smaller, older vessels like Brilliance and Rhapsody of the Seas.

Her cruises took her around the Caribbean and Europe, visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay, Cozumel, and Barcelona, among other ports.

Related: 8 lessons I learned from every Royal Caribbean cruise I took this year

On most itineraries, Calista booked shore excursions directly through Royal Caribbean. Yet while this was convenient, Royal Caribbean’s excursions are typically more expensive than tours booked through independent operators.

So, during a visit to Nassau, Calista branched out and booked an excursion through shoreexcursions.com instead of through Royal Caribbean.

She paid just $50 per person for an excursion to nearby Pearl Island, whereas Royal Caribbean charged over $100 for a similar tour!

There are several advantages to booking directly through the cruise line, including a guaranteed return to the ship even if the tour runs late. Nonetheless, Calista had a great experience booking a shore excursion on her own.

Matt packed USB hubs and a long charging cable for his cabin

Matt boarded Allure of the Seas in February for a short 3-night cruise—one of his 14 (and counting) cruises in 2024. While packing, he made the mistake of assuming his cabin would have abundant outlets. Instead, due to the cabin's older design, he found himself struggling to charge all of his electronics throughout the cruise.

After this experience, he packed extra USB hubs and a long charging cord for the rest of his cruises in 2024. Even though cabins on new ships like Icon of the Seas have more than enough charging ports, this is not the case for cabins on older ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet.

Note: While Royal Caribbean banned multi-plug outlet adapters earlier this year, USB hubs are still allowed.

Angie reserved entertainment shows before her cruise to ensure she had a seat

On select Royal Caribbean ships, guests can reserve entertainment shows ahead of their cruise on the Cruise Planner website. Because popular productions like Broadway shows can book up quickly, it’s recommended that guests reserve entertainment prior to embarkation day.

Earlier this year, social media strategist Angie took advantage of this advice while preparing for her Harmony of the Seas cruise. She made reservations online for the Broadway production of Grease and other popular events, which guaranteed her a seat.

During the cruise, Angie was grateful she took the time to make entertainment reservations ahead of time. When entering the theater, she noticed a long line of passengers waiting for standby seats at these events.

Related: 7 mistakes I saw passengers make on Harmony of the Seas

Instead of waiting in line and hoping for a seat at a fully-booked show, Angie could walk directly into the theater with her reservation.

Speaking of lines, Angie reserved Traditional Dining over My Time Dining to save time and hassle

The Main Dining Room is a staple of any cruise, and Angie enjoyed dozens of meals in the restaurant on her 8 cruises this year.

While booking a Royal Caribbean cruise, guests must choose between Traditional Dining and My Time Dining. Traditional Dining means passengers dine at the same time each evening with the same table and wait staff. My Time Dining, on the other hand, gives guests flexibility to reserve different dining times each evening.

Related: Royal Caribbean My Time Dining Versus Traditional Dining

Although My Time Dining allows for more flexibility, guests must remember to make dining reservations in advance. If not, they’ll be stuck waiting in line for an open table.

Angie almost always chooses Traditional Dining, and she was glad to have a guaranteed table and dining time each evening of her cruises. There was no need to make reservations individually for each dinner, and she never had to wait in a long line to enter the Main Dining Room.

Elizabeth tried an extra-cost activity on a port day for free

When writer Elizabeth cruised to Alaska earlier this year on Quantum of the Seas—one of 11 cruises in 2024—she was excited to try RipCord by iFLY, the ship’s indoor skydiving simulator. This activity is only available on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Class ships, so trying the activity was a must for Elizabeth while onboard.

Related: I went on a 7-night cruise to Alaska. Here are 16 things that surprised me the most

However, RipCord by iFLY is unlike most Royal Caribbean activities in that it offers varied price options. On port days, the activity is complimentary for a 1-minute flight experience. Sea days, meanwhile, offer a 2-minute flight for nearly $100 per person.

Elizabeth wanted to save money, so she tried the skydiving simulator when her ship was docked in Icy Strait Point. The complimentary 1-minute experience allowed her to get a taste for the activity without spending extra.

Jenna booked her 2024 cruises with a travel agent, leading to savings and extra perks

Perhaps the most tried-and-true cruise tip we share at Royal Caribbean Blog is to book with a travel agent, and I followed this tip on each of my cruises in 2024.

As Royal Caribbean Blog’s video editor, I sailed on Royal Caribbean’s two newest ships this year: Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas. Although I typically book most travel, such as flights and hotels, on my own, I always book cruises with a trusted travel agent.

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

Booking with a travel agent meant I didn’t need to do anything myself, and I got extra perks like onboard credit and discounted rates along the way. On my Utopia of the Seas cruise, in fact, my travel agent scored an upgraded balcony cabin in a more central location than what I originally booked.

A good travel agent will cost you nothing extra, and it’s one of the most helpful cruise tips to follow.

Allie stocked up on cheap cruise essentials from Dollar Tree

Packing for a cruise can feel overwhelming, especially if you follow every packing list on the internet to a tee. That $30 pair of sandals and $300 underwater camera would be nice, of course, but there’s no need to spend hundreds of dollars on your cruise packing list.

Nonetheless, there are some essentials you do need to pack for a cruise, such as toiletries, and many cruisers also enjoy packing fun items like door decorations, too.

When Royal Caribbean Blog writer Allie was preparing for a cruise this year, she decided to shop at Dollar Tree for her cruise essentials. She purchased items like over-the-counter medication, magnetic clips, and travel-sized toiletries for just $1.25 each instead of spending significantly more at a store like Target.

Related: 5 Dollar Tree Items Cruisers Should Stock Up on Before Their Sailing

Sure, items may be more limited, but Allie was surprised how well this packing tip worked while cruising on a budget.

When sailing on the world’s largest cruise ship, Calista tried as many dining venues as possible

Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas was, undoubtedly, the most anticipated cruise ship of 2024, and Calista had the opportunity to sail on the vessel this past summer.

As the biggest cruise ship in the world, Icon of the Seas boasts mind-blowing entertainment venues like the AquaDome and endless thrills at the ship’s Category 6 Waterpark. Aside from activities, though, are an abundance of dining venues, from casual grab-and-go spots to high-end restaurants.

Related: Icon of the Seas restaurant and dining guide

During Calista’s week on Icon of the Seas, she made it a point to try the ship’s diverse dining options. She loved the Mediterranean bowls at AquaDome Market and grab-and-go snacks at Pearl Cafe.

It’s easy to get into a routine of dining at only the Main Dining Room and Windjammer buffet, but trying a variety of restaurants while cruising ensures that each day’s dining experience is different from the last. Plus, you might discover a new favorite dish!

Elizabeth tried Royal Caribbean’s coffee card, allowing her to try new beverages

Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Beverage Package might be the most popular drink package—who doesn’t love unlimited cocktails, after all—but coffee lovers shouldn’t overlook the cruise line’s Cafe Select Coffee Card.

Elizabeth skipped a drink package on her recent cruise to Bermuda, instead opting for Royal Caribbean’s coffee card. For $36.58, the punch card entitled her to 15 espresso-based beverages throughout the cruise. As a plus, the card could be shared between Elizabeth and her travel partner (unlike a drink package).

Related: I tried the Royal Caribbean drink package nobody talks about. Why it's worth the money

With the card, the price per specialty coffee came out to around $2.43 per drink. Considering each drink could cost over $5 without the card, Elizabeth was pleased she gave it a try.

Matt arrived to his embarkation city with more than enough time to spare

European cruises are all the rage during the summer, and Matt was excited to head across the pond this past August for his own European adventure. Matt’s 7-night Spain and France cruise was set to depart from Southampton, so he made sure to arrive in London with plenty of time to spare before embarkation day.

If there’s just one piece of advice to follow when planning a cruise, it’s to always fly into your cruise embarkation city at least one day ahead of time.

Related: The worst part of flying to Europe could easily ruin half your cruise

Our staff members have heard far too many horror stories of cancelled flights, missed connections, and other travel mishaps en route to a cruise. Booking a flight the same day your cruise begins is risky; no one wants to risk missing their cruise altogether due to a travel delay.

Therefore, Matt arrived in London two days before embarkation day. Not only did this ensure he would make it to the port even if he encountered delays, but it also gave him time to recover from jet lag. As a plus, Matt had time to enjoy London’s highlights, too!