Tips and Tricks to Help You Have an Amazing Royal Caribbean Cruise

Going on a cruise is often seen as a great vacation option for families and busy individuals, in part because there is less planning involved. You do the work to choose and book your cruise, and then you board the ship and relax. This is largely true, but there are still things to book and consider ahead of your trip. You may want to plan port excursions, research destinations, and reserve cruise activities. There are a lot of things you can do to make the cruise even more memorable and more relaxing so that you can maximize your fun while you are on that well-earned vacation. So here are some of the tips and tricks I have gathered from my cruises on Royal Caribbean that can hopefully help you have the best experience possible.

Tip #1: Watch for sales!

Royal Caribbean is known for offering great sales, making their cruises an amazing value. I often check for great sales before I make a booking. The good news is that they seem to have sales almost all the time, so if you miss one sale, fear not — another sale will come up. We like to book when a sale for 60% off the second cruiser is offered, along with “Kids Sail Free.” We have three kids, so getting “Kids Sail Free” is a huge savings for us. “Kids Sail Free” is a promotion where kids 12 and under sail free, as long as you have two paying guests in the same cabin. I will warn you that there are a lot of blackout dates for this promotion, not surprisingly mostly when school is on break, so it is not always possible to get this promotion. But if your dates are flexible, or you are willing to let your kids miss some school, it can be a great value. I have also seen sales where the 3rd and 4th guests in a cabin sail free, meaning the other members of your group do not have to be kids to get the savings. There are also instant savings offered on specific cruises, like short getaways, Alaska sailings, or even specific ships. So do some research, and hopefully you can get a great price on your cruise!

Tip #2: Keep an eye out for sales even after you have booked your cruise!

If you have booked your cruise, but have not paid in full, you may still be able to get a cheaper price if a better sale becomes available after you initially book the cruise. If you notice a better price available for your sailing, try calling Royal Caribbean, and they may adjust the price for your booking. You could also do this through your travel agent if you used one to book your cruise. I imagine there are exceptions to this rule, but I have had success calling in and getting our price dropped, which is such a great feeling.

Tip #3: Don’t forget to check in online for your cruise!

Online check-in opens 90 days before your cruise and closes three days before you sail. Checking in online makes it faster and easier to board the ship at the port and saves you from additional stress when you are trying to get your vacation started. Another advantage is that checking in online early can help you secure an earlier port arrival time, allowing you to board the ship sooner. Boarding the ship sooner can have a lot of advantages, but the top one, in my opinion, is that it gives you extra time to enjoy the ship and get yourself settled on that first day so you can start having fun!

Tip #4: After you board the ship, make any onboard reservations that you don’t already have.

Another great reason to try to get an early boarding time for the ship is that you can be one of the earlier guests to get onboard, giving you a better chance to grab reservations that you didn’t book before the cruise. Maybe there was a show you were unable to reserve in advance that they are able to help you book, or maybe you want to make a change to your dinner time or reserve a specialty restaurant. Perhaps you want to check out the spa and reserve a treatment. The first thing I like to do after boarding the ship is take care of any plans or reservations that need to be made. There is generally a booth set up for dining reservations or entertainment bookings. You can also go to guest services and put in any requests that you have.

Tip #5: Decorate your door

It is a fun cruise tradition to decorate the door to your stateroom. The doors are magnetic, so this does not need to be a complicated project. Magnets are a staple around the ship, as well as magnetic hooks to hang banners, lights, or garlands. This tradition is both fun and practical. Having your door decorated really does make it easier to quickly find your cabin when you are walking down the halls without having to watch the stateroom numbers. But even better, it is a great way to have fun and personalize your cruise. Lots of people put up themed decorations if they are celebrating a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or retirement onboard. They also put up magnets to personalize the door to their style or to recognize the family members on the trip. So go ahead and join the fun!

An example of the magnets we use to decorate our cabin door.

Tip #6: Ducks, ducks, and more ducks!

If you have never been on a cruise, you may not be familiar with the duck tradition! On cruises, guests love to hide and find little ducks all around the ship. We have seen small rubber ducks and tiny little mini ducks, and it is pretty satisfying to find those! They get hidden all over the ship, and it is really fun, especially for kids. Sometimes guests will also come up to you and hand out fun little ducks. My kids love to look for the ducks around the ship, and it helps make walking around the ship more fun and interesting for them. We have also started taking ducks with us to hide for others to help spread the fun. So if you see a duck, now you will know what it is all about, and you may decide to join the fun and participate too!

It is fun to both hide and find the ducks on board the ship!

Tip #7: Take the time to organize your room!

I am always impressed with the space-saving and design elements in cruise cabins, which help make small spaces feel comfortable and user-friendly. I am not someone who usually does a lot of unpacking on vacation, but I always like to unpack and get my cruise cabin organized as soon as possible. Because cruise cabins don’t always have a lot of floor space, living out of a suitcase is a deal breaker. The good news is that there is closet space, drawers, and shelves expertly designed so you can unpack and organize all your things. Then you can slide your suitcases and bags under the bed and have a nice, clean, open room. Plus, it makes the cruise so much more relaxing and enjoyable if you have a place for everything and can find what you need when you need it. There are some great buys on Amazon for products that can make you feel even more organized in your cabin and help you utilize the space even more efficiently.

Check out this post where I have highlighted some of my favorite items to organize my cruise cabin!

Tip #8: If you can make reservations for the shows in advance, do it.

The entertainment on Royal Caribbean is really impressive, so if you are interested in watching the main shows, make an advance reservation if possible. On smaller ships in the Freedom, Voyager, Radiance, and Vision classes, you cannot make reservations in advance of your sailing; seats are first come, first served. However, on Icon, Oasis, and Quantum class ships, you can reserve the main shows in advance. The reservations open on the 1st of the month before the sail date and close 4 days before the sailing. After that, reservations need to be made on the ship. Note that having a reservation does not give you a specific seat; it just gives you entry to see the show. So if prime seats are a priority, you still need to go a bit early. Generally, we have seen two lines form early: a line for reserved guests and a line for non-reserved guests. So even if you do not have a reservation, you are likely going to be able to see the show if you are willing to go early and be near the front of the line for non-reserved guests. In my experience, about 10 to 15 minutes before the show, they start to let in some guests from the non-reserved line. The best way to ensure you will get to see the shows, and also get a better seat, is to make those reservations. On Icon and Oasis class ships, you can reserve the two premier shows in the main theater, the main ice skating show, the premier aqua show, and the comedy club. On Quantum class ships, you can reserve performances in the Two70 theater. You cannot make reservations for headliner acts in the main theater.

We like to make reservations for the aqua shows and other entertainment in advance, when possible.

Tip #9: Some Oasis class ships have a second ice skating show and a second aqua show that are not always listed on the Cruise Compass.

On some of the Oasis class ships, a second, shorter ice skating show, often called iSkate, is offered near the end of the cruise. It was listed on the Cruise Compass, but you could not make advance reservations, when I sailed on Symphony of the Seas. There is also a second, shorter aqua show titled AquaNation. This show was not listed on the paper Cruise Compass that was in our cabin on embarkation day, but it was listed in the app. These extra shows are often performed only one day, near the end of the cruise, so keep an eye out for them. We really enjoyed them.

Tip #10: Some shows can be cancelled due to inclement weather and the motion of the ship.

Be warned that shows can be cancelled, in particular the aqua shows, due to inclement weather or too much motion on the ship. So, if seeing the aqua show is a priority for your group, prioritize it near the beginning of the cruise. That way, if a show gets cancelled, you have more nights available to reschedule it and see the show. When we sailed, the show we had a reservation for was cancelled, and we were automatically given a reservation to a different show. We were also able to call guest services and switch the new reservation to ensure it fit with our other plans.

Tip #11: Bring long pants for the open ice skating times.

Depending on where you are sailing, packing long pants may not be at the forefront of your mind, which is why I am listing this as a tip. On ships that have an ice skating rink, there will be certain times when they offer ice skating to guests. Guests need to make a reservation in the app once onboard the ship to attend one of the ice skating sessions. In order to skate there is a requirement that guests wear long pants, so make sure you plan accordingly and have the correct clothes with you. I had to skate in my pajama pants on our last cruise, so hopefully now you will not have to do the same.

Make sure you have those long pants for ice skating!

Tip #12: Closed-toe shoes are required for ziplining.

In order to go ziplining on the Oasis class ships, guests must be wearing closed-toe shoes. Crocs were not secure enough. So again, if you were planning on spending almost all your time in sandals, and you want to ride the zip line, make sure you have another pair of shoes with you. Long hair is also supposed to be tied back. When it comes to the rock walls on the ships, they provide rock climbing shoes, so you can wear any footwear to that activity, as long as you have socks with you.

Tip #13: If good seats are important to you, arrive early.

If having prime seating is important to you, make sure you plan accordingly and arrive early. Even when you have a reservation for a show, make sure you line up 15 to 30 minutes early if you want to be able to get prime seats. If you do not have a reservation, you really need to line up early in the hopes that you will get into the show after those with reservations are seated. Even for smaller venues, like the comedy club and lounges where trivia and game shows take place, it can be hard to find seating. So if you do not want to have to stand at the side or sit on the floor, arrive early to get seats.

Tip #14: Keep a bathing suit and essentials in your carry-on.

When you arrive at the cruise port, you will check your large bags with a baggage handler, and they will be delivered outside your stateroom later that day. However, your bag may not be there when you first go to see your cabin because it takes time for the crew to get all those bags delivered. So keep essentials and a bathing suit in your carry-on. My family likes to start the fun right away, and we often grab some lunch at the buffet and then head to the pool deck to ride the waterslides before everyone is onboard and the lines get longer. If we did not bring our bathing suits with us in our carry-on, or wear them onboard under our clothes, we might not have access to our checked bags yet and would have to wait to head for the pool and waterslides. Also, keep medications, valuables, and anything you can’t risk not having with you in your carry-on, in case there is an issue or delay with your checked bags.

Bring those essential and bathing suits in your carry on bag!

Ok, those are all my tips and tricks to help you and your party have the best Royal Caribbean cruise possible. I hope you found this information helpful and, as always,

Happy sailing!