It was 6 years ago and I still remember my waiters name. How early can I board my Royal Caribbean cruise? Re: Changing one guest name - Royal Caribbean. In addition to being able to use your drink package benefits nearly anywhere onboard your ship, Royal Caribbean also extends the benefit to Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas and Labadee in Haiti. ", "When is the best time to book a cruise?" All Guests must board the ship no later than 4:00 pm. {{alert.title}} {{notification.title}} {{notification . We'll walk you through a typical cruise embarkation day and the cruise ship boarding process, and give you some cruise embarkation tips to make sure your first day on the ship goes as smooth as butter. Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. Once you are ready to begin, completing the Royal Caribbean online check in takes very little time. Its just easier and faster. In short, to save time and money, use a good travel agent. By arriving early, you will beat the big crowds that descend upon the cruise terminal later in the day, and you also get the added benefit of having some extra time onboard the ship. Modified Date: Jan 6, 2023. If you're flying to your cruise, take heed of what happened today as an important reminder of what not to do, We have a quick tip to share on how you can save money on your next Royal Caribbean cruise before you ever set foot on, The Royal Caribbean Blog staff collectively spent over 270 nights on Royal Caribbean ships in 2022. In many ports, porters have a special line for Customs that allows you to get through it all faster. You can save and come back to the process at a later time. Read a past Cruise Compass! Cayman Islands: Who's Who & Business Guide. The online check-in process is super simple and consists of filling out personal information among other tasks. So, how do you secure an early arrival time so that you can board the ship as soon as possible? You'll want to include all of your valuables, medications, and documentation. How to Complete Check-In. Today, we, While I absolutely love cruising and traveling, we all know that sometimes things dont go exactly as we planned., We all make mistakes, including when on a cruise ship. The total cost of my cruise for two guests, including gratuities, taxes, and fees, was $1656. Get Cruise Savvy with our FREE Newsletter! All rights reserved. This includes accepting the cruise contract, answering the health questions, and choosing your boarding time. It has grown into a website full of information on family vacation tips, kid friendly activities, homeschooling organization hacks, and so much more! I didnt even have a chance to sit down in the Port Everglades terminal before I was welcomed onto the ship. So which food is included and which cost extra? If youre still not satisfied you can pay extra for the priority access some cruise lines offer. We didnt even have to get off the couch. 2. The key is to understand what the ship you're booking has and doesn't have so there's no disappointment later. The only trouble is you may get hooked on it, and then you will have to come up with the cash for the next cruise. Now, if youre planning to embark on a closed-loop itinerary that starts and ends in the United States, you can use your birth certificate and legal name change documentation to board. 19. Luggage and Baggage Rules for Taking a Cruise | Cruzely.com While you can book shore excursions onboard your ship, the lines at the shore excursion desk can often be quite long and doing your research from home gives you plenty of time to compare different options and learn what each port offers. [Subscribe fo. The Online Check-in Process is a 4 step process and Royal Caribbean will walk you through it step by step. Simply check in on the very day availability opens. Royal Caribbean allows guests to bring up to 12 bottles/cans of non-alcoholic beverages per stateroomwith them on embarkation day. As an added bonus, by arriving to your embarkation port at least a day early, that means you get to start your vacation sooner! Moreover, the onboard credit is stackable with other discounts Royal Caribbean is offering at the time! 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. Just like dining, you can reserve shows in advance by going to Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner site. They offer guests the option to drink as much as they want on their cruise for a fixed price. Be sure to look up all your benefits, and ensure you use the most lucrative Crown and Anchor Society perks during your sailing so you can reap the best rewards! The menu can vary from lunch to dinner, but the experience is still the same. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. You can even start using your drink packages right away to help you get into vacation mode even faster! $250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights, $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 to 13 nights, $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less. By having a reservation, you will be seated faster. (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean) You are staying in a suite. Be sure to check it. MSC Cruises has three experiences to choose from: Bella, Fantastica, and Aurea. 5 rounds of Hornady SST Lite 12 Gauge 2 3/4" Shotgun Slugs. Please see my disclosure policy at the bottom of this page for more details.). 22 Do's and Don'ts for Your First Day Onboard a Cruise Ship - Cruise Critic You don't plan to take advantage of its . And the earlier check-in time you have, the sooner you get to get onboard the ship and start vacation. best beyblade pro series It wasn't nearly as easy as usual. Instant Real Time Pricing What food is included with your Royal Caribbean cruise? What you want to do is look at what the ship you're considering has to do onboard, and ensure it has the most important options that you want to experience. This includes your passport, boarding pass, and any other necessary paperwork. A. The cost is $129 for a 3-5 day cruise and $199 for a 6-9 day cruise with higher rates for longer voyages. The concept is simple: pay a few bucks and skip the lines. By going on embarkation day, not only will you likely have a short wait but you may be able to re-ride a number of times! Once logged in, navigate toOnboard Activitiesand select the show you wish to reserve. It May be Time for Some Royal Caribbean Elites to Reconsider Paying for Drink Packages frequentfloaters.com - Marshall Jackson Cruise line drink packages and whether or not you should buy one are a subject of sometimes intense debate among frequent floaters. The Key program by Royal Caribbean offers priority access at the terminal, baggage delivery to stateroom, welcome lunch from Chops Grille, VIP show access, and priority departure. To ensure that your price remains the lowest, SEMA will price-match Note that boarding did come to a stop at one point. We make sure to pack several items in our backpack, which I will include below: Youll notice that many of the items listed above are needed because our kids swim on embarkation day. We have spent years sharing tips, secrets and strategies on this blog about taking a better and more fun Royal Caribbean cruise, and we discovered there is one common thread among so many of our best tips: being early. Instead of arriving to your departure city on the day of your cruise, get in early! This means the terminal will open up . Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Ren de Lambert (@RenedeLambert) on Flipboard You dont want to find yourself stuck in a foreign land without your passport in a worst-case scenario. VIP access to shows in Main theater, Aqua Theater, Studio B, and Two70, Surf & Stream high-speed internet package, Special breakfast on debarkation day and choice of departure time, Dedicated phone number for guest services, Expedited water shuttle from ship to shore, Daily Complimentary Standard Room Service Breakfast, $50 Spa Discount per person (Port Days Only). One of the best parts? I'm a budget cruiser. Here are 8 easy strategies I used on my recent I booked my Symphony of the Seas cruise five months in advance of my February sail date. If you are in My Time Dining for dinner, your best strategy is to make reservations either before the cruise, or during the cruise. The person didnt even ask for the ship name or location and gave monosyllabic responses. Its also important to note that theres no best time to board the Royal Caribbean ship. How to Get on Your Cruise Ship As Early as Possible: 7 We hate spam as much as lounge chair hogs. The Aurea experience provides much more than just priority access and luggage drop off, also including access to the Top Exclusive Solarium, access to the thermal suite, discounted drink package rates, free delivery of room service and more. The Windjammer on Radiance and Quantum class ships offers an area at the rear of the ship to enjoy any meal with a fantastic view of the ship's wake. If you followed our previous advice about arriving to your port city early, then likely your hotel will have a check-out time in the early part of the morning, which is the perfect excuse to head to the cruise port. Priority access off the ship to the shore in port. Royal Caribbean's app is a must-have for your cruise, so make sure to download it before your cruise. The Key is an optional add-on you can purchase to get VIP benefits, including an early check-in time. You can actually get hundreds of dollars of onboard credit by simply booking onboard, but the exact amount depends on how long a sailing you book and in which stateroom category. For some folks, that may sound like lunacy to plan a vacation up to two years in advance, but the fact of the matter is employing this strategy is the key to getting a really great price. Lets look at what some of these early-access programs offer. Call (225) 687-7590 or what can i bring on a cruise royal caribbean today! Exclusive access to time slots for rock climbing, FlowRider etc. The tours and excursions available to book in the ports your cruise will visit are many, so take advantage of the resources online to find the perfect tour before your cruise begins. If you selected my-time dining you will want to select your preferred time as the most popular times book up fast. The cruise line can have an impact as some lines have different embarkation . So if you have an early flight and can carry all your bags, then you can be among the first to get off the ship. Whether its a backpack or carry-on, always keep a few things with you that you may need in the event your large bags are delayed in getting to your cabin. This is a great spot to see the port as you leave, especially for those that do not have a balcony stateroom or simply want something a little different. The Key, Royal Caribbean's Priority Program - Cruise Critic Kids get special pricing at a specialty restaurant, so buy dining packages only for the adults. What to Expect on a Cruise: Boarding a Cruise Ship - Cruise Critic Just know that with some of the tips above you will still be able to get on the ship before most of the other passengers. It can feel like torture if you have to wait a long time to board your ship. If a ship sails a journey to a "nearby" foreign port, a passenger still can't leave the ship permanently at a different U.S. port than the embarkation point (nearby foreign . How to book My Time Dining on Royal Caribbean If your stateroom shower is occupied by a family member, you could go to the gym and shower there instead. There is no question that if you want to get the lowest price on a cruise, book it as early as you can. The price of the cruise is the same whether you book at home or onboard. Note: MSC Cruises has a status match program, so you can carry over some of the perks you have with another cruise line. I've been seeing some comments about show reservations being sold out by the time people boarded, that is the main reason why I was wondering if Royal Caribbean is really that strict or if it's likely they might let us on earlier. Even if you have an international cell phone plan, cruise ship cellular coverage is rarely included. And again, this just slows down that quick embarkation process. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Guests can choose boarding times in the afternoon or earlier times of 10:30 or 11:00. By the way, there are still delays in the passport renewal process. It'll guide you to aim and take the picture. On sea days, the main dining room is open for lunch and it serves up a different menu of options than what is offered during dinner. Lunch and drink package 3. What's the Earliest You Should Schedule a Flight After a Cruise? The same is true for beer . You can use it to check-into your cruise (more on that in the next tip), book entertainment, shore excursions and packages. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Royal Caribbean Blog. This is a 9 night cruise and price per night is noted below for each cabin type. And in many cases, the port you are departing from has its own cultural and historical attractions that you can explore. I would love to hearyourtips and tricks! You can enjoy a lineup of adventures on a Royal Caribbean cruise from Day One, like the North Star observation capsule, ice skating and more.