Our Best Royal Caribbean Tips And Tricks: [Must Know]

I have taken experience several cruises. Still, Royal Caribbean remains my first-ever choice.

This is because of their premium service and hidden tactics that have made the experience enjoyable, even without breaking the bank.

Want to know them?

Don’t worry; in today’s guide, we have gathered all those hidden Royal Caribbean tips and tricks that will help you save money and time.

So, let’s find out them together.

Table of Contents

Embarkation Tips

Excited about your cruise journey?

Don’t rush into the process; note these embarkation tips to prepare for the best cruising experience.

The first and foremost thing you must do is download the Royal Caribbean app to stay connected with the cruise happening. After that, connect your reservation for a check-in on the app.

Organize your paperwork as early as you can. You have lots of essentials to pack and showing them at the embarkation is essential. So, to ensure the best experience, ensure that you have gathered all the necessary documents, medical documentation, and other necessities yourself. A carry-on bag is the most convenient option to organize all these.

Along with the bag, be sure to pack a day bag to keep all the first-day essentials, such as your swimming suit, sunscreen, and other pool essentials.

The chances and risks of cruise cancellation or missing your boarding pass are always there. To save yourself from these experiences, you must arrive a night before the embarkation.

Family Cruising Tips

Here are some of our tested hacks to make your family cruising more enjoyable. These tips will help you to make the most out of the moment.

Save your cost if you have any kids. Royal Caribbean ship allows a 12-year-old or a younger child for free cruise fare. Source: Royal Caribbean Blog.

You don’t necessarily need a dining package for a kid. For example, the kids between 0 and 6 are complementary. However, for adults, it can additionally cost you per person. So, if you plan to have an onboard dining reservation, tell the server that the kids don’t have any dining package while the adults do. In this way, you will save money and get a better price.

If your child is carving for the ice cream, don’t spend some extra bucks on it. Just head to the pool deck and get the unlimited ice cream for free. However, the service is usually available between 11 Am and 6 Pm.

You should prefer a balcony room if you have a child with you. This will let you enjoy beautiful oceans from the balcony, and your kid will also get a quieter nap.

Don’t forget to read the infant policy of Royal Caribbean Cruise to meet with all the rules and regulations.

Cost-Saving Cruise Tips

Royal Caribbean cruising experience can be a bit pricey, especially if you are cruising for the first time. However, it can still be economical.

Want to know how?

Here are some of our tested tricks to make the Royal Caribbean cruising more budget-friendly.

Booking your cruise early is the key to saving the cost. It’s because, generally, the prices are more likely to rise when the ships fill out. Conversely, booking made in peak season will also cost more. That’s why you must book your cruise at least 70 or 90 days before. However, if you have any changes in the plan, you can easily cancel the Royal Caribbean cruise without any hassle.

Work with the travel advisors. They are experts in their field and can help you to save time that you will ultimately spend on research as they are already new. Meanwhile, few will also get access to the travel plans right before they go public. You can save the cost by booking through a travel advisor.

Remember, the cost of Wifi on Royal Caribbean is generally more than the whole cruising cost. So, you must keep your devices in airplane mode to save costs, especially if Wi-Fi is unnecessary.

The most critical Royal Caribbean tip towards saving costs is to be careful while selecting a stateroom. In this regard, you must ask several questions yourself, including the space and location, so that you won’t get a costly stateroom, which is not your need as you can stay in the cabin as well, which will cost less. So, especially if you are a solo traveler, consider single cabin and low-cost options by keeping in mind you will spend most of the time going out.

Be mindful while packing for a cruise. It’s because several services are generally premium on board. For example, toiletry and getting pampered onboard are expensive. So, you must include the necessary luggage with all the essentials.

Don’t overlook your health; be prepared for any situation, especially health issues. In this regard, you can get travel health insurance to save costs, as Royal Caribbean Healthline service is usually expensive.

Cruise Line Beverage Tips

We all know that Royal Caribbean drink packages are pretty expensive but truly worth the money.

However, do you want to know some hacks to help you save money but still enjoy the same service?

If so, here are our best Royal Caribbean drink package tips to help you save money.

Royal Caribbean doesn’t allow sharing. However, you can still cheat the Royal Caribbean drink package by buying one package and later sharing it with the other. Doing so, you must be careful not to get caught. Otherwise, your whole cruise can be terminated.

The worst time to book a drink package is the day you arrive – don’t go for it and always do pre-booking using a cruise planner from the Royal Caribbean app.

Make friends with the bartenders so you will still be preferred at the busiest times and get your drink on time.

The best time to buy your drink package is when you book your cruise, as prices are generally inflated. However, if you see any discount on the same package in the future, you can easily cancel the previous one without any additional cost.

Always check the discount offers stated by Royal Caribbean to save your cost.

Royal Caribbean also allows you to get 2 wine bottles on a cruise that you can’t even drink outside the cruise. But, still, it’s an excellent choice and the best tip to save the cost.

Always grab a water bottle to keep yourself hydrated. They are also free, so why not take the advantage?

Safety Tips for Cruise Ship

Cruise ships are generally safe. However, anything unexpected or uncertain can happen at any time.

That’s why you should not avoid your safety concerns and should take some precautions. And in this regard, here are some tips to make your cruising journey safer.

Save your cost if you have any kids. Royal Caribbean ship allows a 12-year-old or a younger child for free cruise fare. Source: Royal Caribbean Blog.

You don’t necessarily need a dining package for a kid. For example, the kids between 0 and 6 are complementary. However, for adults, it can additionally cost you per person. So, if you plan to have an onboard dining reservation, tell the server that the kids don’t have any dining package while the adults do. In this way, you will save money and get a better price.

If your child is carving for the ice cream, don’t spend some extra bucks on it. Just head to the pool deck and get the unlimited ice cream for free. However, the service is usually available between 11 Am and 6 Pm.

You should prefer a balcony room if you have a child with you. This will let you enjoy beautiful oceans from the balcony, and your kid will also get a quieter nap.

Don’t forget to read the infant policy of Royal Caribbean Cruise to meet with all the rules and regulations.

Royal Caribbean Gratuity Tips

Various services are included in your cruise fare.

For example, accommodation, food, and onboard activities. However, the gratuities or tips cost wouldn’t be included in it.

So, save yourself from extra tipping by following these simple tips.

Firstly, you should get an estimate of how much gratuities cost per day. However, the shared amount depends on your stateroom category. Still, having an estimate of cost will let you not get trapped.

Look for the deserving members if you want to pay extra gratuities. For example, the cleaning or kitchen staff.

Generally, you have two options – pay the gratuities in advance or wait for onboard. Among both, we prefer to pay in advance. This way, you can add the gratuity cost to the fare and get a fare estimate of pricing. You will see a few cruise members offering gratuities directly whenever they see fit. However, you should not do as you want to save the cost. Conversely, you should give gratuities to hardworking members only.

Suppose you plan to have any onboard purchase – like spa, salon, beverages, or mini bar items. A gratuity of 18% is sure to add to the cost.

Tipping to each crew member individually is also not recommended.

Adventure Ocean Day Tips

Undoubtedly, Royal Caribbean offers multiple services for a family to enjoy their vacations in full. The best part is that the award-winning kid’s programs are usually included in the fare without additional cost.

One of them is Adventure Ocean, only if used wisely.

So, here are the necessary tips and things you must know about the Royal Caribbean Adventure Ocean.

Firstly, you should get an estimate of how much gratuities cost per day. However, the shared amount depends on your stateroom category. Still, having an estimate of cost will let you not get trapped.

Look for the deserving members if you want to pay extra gratuities. For example, the cleaning or kitchen staff.

Generally, you have two options – pay the gratuities in advance or wait for onboard. Among both, we prefer to pay in advance. This way, you can add the gratuity cost to the fare and get a fare estimate of pricing. You will see a few cruise members offering gratuities directly whenever they see fit. However, you should not do as you want to save the cost. Conversely, you should give gratuities to hardworking members only.

Suppose you plan to have any onboard purchase – like spa, salon, beverages, or mini bar items. A gratuity of 18% is sure to add to the cost.

Tipping to each crew member individually is also not recommended.

Make My Time Dining reservations

Another of the best Royal Caribbean tips is to make my time dining reservation. You generally have two options: making it on board or before the cruise.

It’s totally up to you which one you choose. However, we highly encourage you to reserve before the cruise to limit the wait time, especially if you plan to make a dinner at 6 to 8 p.m.

Remember, this will also allow you to sit faster. Furthermore, the larger the group, the faster and more seamless the dining experience.

Research Shore Excursions Before the Cruise

If you are a cruiser, you must know you have plenty of shore excursion opportunities. However, planning in advance is the key to a better experience.

In this regard, you should take advantage of all the available resources over the internet and plan before you cruise. This research will also help you to compare the different opportunities and choose the best one, as often you will find more people around these excursions.

One of the best resource to find such information is to visit the cruise planner where all the necessary details along with the age restrictions, physical activities, and pricing, are already listed.

Try the Signature Activities on Embarkation Day

Royal Caribbean usually offers a variety of signature activities. For example, rock climbing, zipline, sky pad, FlowRider, etc.

And embarkation day, or the first day of the cruise, is a perfect time to enjoy all these activities multiple times.

This is because many passengers are usually unaware of this kind of opportunity because of their first cruising experience.

So, you should take advantage of this opportunity.

Pre-Booking Is Essential

It does not matter what’s your cruising plan and for how long you will cruise. Pre-booking is ultimately the key to saving cost, time, and effort.

So, whether it is a dining, drink, or internet package – you must book them in advance.

The key reason behind doing so is that the day you sail, you will automatically notice higher pricing as you had paid in advance, so you won’t have to worry about the cost or time.

Fly to Your Cruise Port at Least One Day Early

With early booking, early embarkation is also a good idea. That’s why, to save yourself from any travel delay, ensure to embark or disembark earlier or a day before.

In this way, you can also start your vacation earlier and have more time for fun.

Furthermore, you will also be sure that any travel delay will not affect your experience.

The Bottom Line

So, here you have all the necessary Royal Caribbean tips to make your journey more pleasant.

Want to add more from your experience to make the list exhaustive?

Write in the comment section; we would love to hear from you.

Till Next!

Zoe Grace

I am Zoe Grace, a passionate enthusiast of cruise ships. With a decade of firsthand experience in the cruising industry, I have developed a deep understanding of the intricacies and wonders that these majestic vessels hold.

Now, I am excited to embark on a new journey as an author, sharing my knowledge and insights with readers who share my fascination for the world of cruising.

Join me as we explore the captivating world of cruise ships together.