You can have a much better WJ experience on embarkation day if you are willing to wait a little bit. 15 minutes after they announce rooms are ready no less than half the diners in the WJ will clear out. We usually just get a snack when we first get on board at a complimentary venue and a drink (or two) and chill until they announce rooms are ready. Then leisurely head to the WJ for a much more manageable experience.
When we cruise we have so far always requested a check-in time of 1-1:30 so we have never had to wait for a “rooms are available” announcement. This is helpful when cruising with an elderly parent.
FYI, not impressed with the WJ on the Oasis. For a ship of that size, there should be more than 4-5 kiosks of food (per side). Carnival does the buffet much better. Can’t say enough about the main dining room (My Time Dining), the service and food was beyond excellent!
I always ask if anchovies are available for my Caesar salad, and of course they always are, they just never appear on the menu. I can never compliment Royal’s staff enough. We sailed Wonder ots last April and I couldn’t locate sandwiches in the Windjammer. An officer noticed that I seemed a bit lost and asked if he could help. After explaining my issue, he asked for my patience as he located my requested food item, but returned empty handed. Apparently there weren’t any sandwiches. He left but returned a few minutes later with three sandwich options for me to choose from which he acquired from the Park Cafe located on another deck. I was blown away by this officer’s outstanding customer service. I’m definitely loyal to Royal.
Regarding the beverage package, if your cabin mate has a Dr. Note stating that they cannot drink alcohol or sugary drinks RC will NOT force any drink package on your cabin mate. This is seldom mentioned and it should.
I learned this from one of your previous videos. There are tons of Walk through of ships online. It's a good way to get a better understanding of the ship as well as what's on the ship. Did that for Radiance of the Seas and saw we could go on the helipad. Super happy about that. This little tip I learned about myself. When you're on the ship. If they have an open area with little light at night. Usually in the Adults only area. If you go out at night, and look up. You can see the stars so well, it's breath taking. I had to shield the sides of my eyes some times, but I swear I could see the milky way. Even saw some shooting stars as well on a couple cruises doing so.
First cruise coming up and we did NOT know you can call to get around buying the drink package for both adults! I’m pregnant so my husband was a little bummed we couldn’t get the package for just him but this is going to be a game changer!! Thank you!
This helped me as well. Question @royalcaribbeanblog, so I don’t purchase and just call them with the request and how soon should I call and request this workaround, we sail 12/22?
Im gonna add you do have to buy a non alcoholic drink package instead. Also the drink package is only worth it if you drink alot. Takes about 6-7 beverages a day to make your money on it. If he only drinks 4 -5 drinks a day its probably cheaper not to buy the package
I saw on another TH-cam page now with all of the flights being delayed a simple GPS tracker inside of your luggage when flying is a good way to keep track of where your luggage is. Because the airlines don't always scan those barcodes so at least you'll know where your suitcase is if when you arrive and your poor destination and they say your suitcase is still where you took off from but you can see that it is where it's supposed to be the cruise line as a cruiser then you can show them at the airport the suitcase is somewhere here I see it on my phone so get a GPS tracker and place it inside your suitcase
I was on Royal Caribbean last week until Friday last week and it was the best cruise I have ever had and it was so fun because they had bumper cars a indoor pool a outdoor pool nice restaurants and I went to Alaska on it for my first time last week while I was on it and they do game shows on the cruise like the broken link and love and marriage and so much more if you go on it. Last week when I was on royal Caribbean I was on one of there ships called the ovation of the sea and there are 16 decks for you and 1-2 more for the crew on the ship.
Thank you for including the off-season months for Australia! The south pacific, Australia and NZ aren't as big a market as the Caribbean but RCI has a significant presence here sailing out of Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
This video was perfect! When I took my first cruise about 10 years ago, I did a lot of research months in advance. I did many of the same things presented in this video and it made my first cruise immensely enjoyable. My favorite tips: 1. Bring your swim gear and essentials for the rest of the day in your carry-on. You don’t know when your checked luggage will show up at your stateroom. 2. Get on the ship as early as possible. Ride the heck out of the Flowrider and water slides. Do the rock climbing wall and zip line. This avoids the brutal lines on sea days. 3. Eat lunch on the ship on embarkation day - you paid for it! If the Windjammer is too busy, not a problem, there are plenty of other places onboard.
You just found yourself a new subscriber! Hoping to sail on my first Royal cruise in 2024 so I will be watching past and currents video’s you put out! Thank you!👏👏
I think Quantum cruises in August and early Sept are ones likely to be most affected by the engine repairs. We are on the Sept 5 sailing and considering moving to another ship during that time period if we can find alternate airline tix.
We are going in august and lost the glaciers but they compensated us with a refund of 1 day of our cruise fare per person in ship credit that can be cashed out if not used. Not perfect but better than nothing.
Thanks Matt for the tips. I was a travel agent for 17 years. I took the time to make sure my clients had all the information needed for a great cruise. I booked pre and post stays as well as checking fares to see if the price went down and got the rate locked in.
Check in at your muster station as soon as you get on the ship. It is usually on one of the lower decks and you can knock it out and not have to worry about it anymore.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Very good point. We embarked at 11:15 and there is no muster at our station so we went to the WJ and ate lunch and sorted out some guest services issues and still waited for a muster worker. No biggie. They came like 10 min later
We sailed on Oasis in May, and the muster drill was done on the RCCL app. We only had to show proof of its completion to a staff member. Super quick and efficient!
Great job with all the tips and reminders. Another good tip is to be sure to have some type of identifying marker like a colorful ribbon or string on your suitcase as it can help you find it quicker if the suitcase doesn’t end up at your door and is down the hallways
Thanks for the tips Matt! We sail on Adventure if the seas in 23 days. (We did Anthem in 2019) Even though we’ve sailed before we always can benefit from new tips!
I take my makeup, shampoo etc and put it in my carryon. We fly so we have to pack it in our checked bag. I also put a change of clothes or what I am going to be wearing at night in my carryon. This is so if my luggage comes to my cabin later I have everything I need. We never eat in the windjammer the first day. The exception was on the Wonder where the windjammer is bigger and there are more tables.
Thank You so much for all the information we are going on Freedon of the Sea on Aug. 8th and it's a family of about 10 of us some of course children and it is their first time lol Also took your advice and fling in the day before. So thank you Matt for all your help!! Glad your are feeling better
Thank you so much for ALL your helpful videos!! We leave in one week for a cruise on the Ovations of the Sea to Alaska. You videos have made preparing for our cruise less stressful!!
I book my cruises 18 months to 2 years in advance. It helps immensely in getting great pricing and the cabin we want. The only time you can reliably get a better deal is if you're only a few days out and you're willing to book the absolute last minute to fill a spot, but obviously, there are lots of downsides to that method. Unless you're retired and live right next to a cruise port, you're going to have a lot of trouble making that work.
I actually should take advantage of the last minute deals. I literally live an hour away from a port in Galveston, but have never gone on a cruise. I will be going on my 1st one in December and made the mistake of just now reserving. I'm sure I've lost quite a bit of savings by waiting this long.
My cruise ship I booked is almost at cap Also If you fly in early make sure you book hotel very very far in advance The hotels in Vancouver is going for almost 400 a night
You kept saying to book through Travel Agent. We did and got so confused and had a terrible experience. we ended up go back to do it ourselves online. Easier to do it online yourself than book it thru a travel agent you don’t know and they don’t know you.
Not all travel agents are the same, just like not all car mechanics, lawyers, or barbers are the same. You have to find a good one that works well with you. I can recommend a great agent to use.
I had a similar experience as you. poor communication, lost credit for a future cruise because of her and asking her to do things didn't go over well. will not use a TA again. easier to do it myself. less stressful.
I have a bit to say on a few things. But post Covid you want to fly in 2 days in advance. Until the airlines get their act together. My flight to Miami was delayed 25 hours. And my bag was lost. If that had been the day before I would have been doomed.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Yeah. I don’t think a day before cuts it these days. Also always travel with your passport. ALWAYS. Had a bunch of Europeans denied boarding because they showed up at Jewel without passports. I guess pre Brexit they didn’t need it 🤷♂️. But they need it now.
can you talk about those with mobility issues .... ie walker scooter, or wheelchair . what assistance is available and is there shore excursions they can do
Thank you Matt for all the information for a fool-proof cruise. We are first time cruisers and am so excited to board the Allure of the Seas. Celebrating our first granddaughter's graduation and accomplishments (she deserves it). When you can if possible, can you please forward a paper copy of the Cruise Compass. I know they are going to do away with paper, but we just wanted to discuss it with our grands and group. I am a visual learner and just wanted a recent paper copy. Thanks! Have a wonderful day.
I chose my time dining assuming that meant I could go on my time, when I'm ready, but you said make a reservation when you get on ship. Is this for all days or each day you have to make a reservation?
In the past we have made a reservation for the same time all week. Go see the Maitre d' when you embark and try to get a reservation for the week. At dinner ask the waiter if you can just come back to that table each day that way you have everything set, and may be able to bypass the line. That was pre-COVID. Not sure if that still applies but you can give it a try. We've been doing main seating since getting back into cruising so I'm not sure how that will work.
May I add one to the Shore Excursions? Book early! I've missed out on a few when I waited to book onboard. By the time I got on the ship, many of them were sold out!
Thanks Matt for the wonderful tips. There's one though, avoid going to the guest service during embarkation day. The queue is really long and we probably might spend more time queuing than getting the issues addressed. There was once there is no towels in my stateroom, so I just called up the housekeeping using the phone in the room. We told them we will be out for lunch and they sent us the towels by the time we got back from lunch.
They take up to your deck and they leave It in the hallway near your room and you find it and bring it to your room I know that because I was on one of there cruises last week.
Any tips on Parking at ports? Going on my first cruise in a couple a weeks and I was wonder if I should buy parking in advance at Port Canaveral or wait till I get there. Thanks!
Thanks for the tips Matt. We’re on the Odyssey in a few weeks and I’ve done everything you suggested. Packages are purchased as well as excursions and we have the earliest check in time. I’m running into one roadblock. We’re sailing out of Rome and are flying in on Saturday for a Sunday sailing. I called RC about a transfer from the airport Hilton and they couldn’t help me because I didn’t have a Sunday flight to give them. Now I’m trying to find a private transfer to the port. I’ve not been to this port in about ten years and from what I’ve seen on TH-cam it looks like RC has a new embarkation area. Do you know how close a private vehicle can get to this area? I’m very frustrated that the RC rep was unwilling to give me any help or information specific to the port. Thanks in advance to anyone who has information.
In regards to choosing a travel agent the only downside is that if you book a suite classr oom you do not get the double points advantage. That is why I book on my own but I do see the benefit of having somebody do all the leg work for you if that's what works for you.
You're incorrect. Booking with a TA or not will get you double points. Not sure why you believe otherwise, but I can assure you you do get double points booking a suite.
When school starts back and vacation time is over the cruise lines are facing very choppy waters! They should know what’s in store for them and they’ll be begging people to cruise, vaccinated or not!!
Totally disagree. I now refuse to cruise during school vacation times as normally too many kids on board. My next three cruises are in non school vacation months. Yes, I do have grown children who did cruise with us when they were young. Both daughters were Diamond Plus before they graduated from high school.
Third party excursion companies often guarantee refund if ship schedule changes and also guarantee you will not miss the ship or they will pay to fly you to the next port to meet the ship. In St. Martaan, we arrived 3 hours late. I contacted the company and was told as soon as they confirmed that the ship arrived too late for the excursion, I got an immediate refund. I have loved every private excursion I have done. I’ve been extremely disappointed in every cruise line excursion I have done.
I am so over the cruise line excursion. They’re way to comfortable trying to juice you for money by charging for extras like pictures of activities you’ll want pics of. Private excursion usually include photos.
@@coldhunni814 I paid extra for photos when feeding stingrays at stingray city in grand cayman on a private excursions. But we were actually allowed to feed stingrays. Most excursions were not. We were a small boat, not overcrowded like the cruise line excursions were and we went to the same place.
The problem is, the pre-purchase option for shore excursions, drink packages, etc. don't work. I've tried it a dozen times over the last month, and it always errors out when trying to complete the order.
Love the tips Matt. We have 4 upcoming cruises. Question though. We just made Diamond and was wondering if you know if we bought the drink package, can we use the vouchers for someone else? Thanks.
Craig, Congratulations on Diamond. AFAIK, you will have 4 drinks per day on your card. As an experiment, you can try just going with the C&A drinks on your card. If that is not enough after the first few days of your cruise, you can always pay as you go, or get the package for the remainder of your cruise. FWIW, on my last few cruises, I only used my full card allowance one day but I am not much of a drinker. (Now that Matt has said how good the lava flow is, and it is, I could see an extra glass or two ) Hope this helps.
When did they start enforcing check in times? We always get there as early as we can and they never make us wait until our official check in time. Our last cruise was pre covid though.
Assuming that is Eddie Murphy in your thumbnail, I'd recommend rethinking the use of that image. Your channel can get dinged for it. A famous TH-camr (wildlife) lost his channel because his intro had (small and brief) a cutout of a snakes head that apparently was used without permission. The owner of the image abused the TH-cam complaint system and used one image to file three complaints and the channel was taken down permanently for violating the 3 strikes policy.
Don't book royal caribbean horrible experience bad bad bad service special from Rome . Bad food after 10 pm only horrible pizza . No fun on board. Bumper car only for 2 minutes . Go for other like NCL or Carnival .
My biggest tips from 4 cruises are always going to third-party excursions and book yourself. You can beat the crowds and see amazing things, like Unesco Dolphin/ray/turtle Shows, climbing the waterfall before anyone gets there, and eating jerk chicken with a red stripe with the locals, all day private island. Sure it's not guaranteed, but hey I did it with no issues. Everlasting impressions away from others. So far in 2022, the only "deals" I see are the Ultimate food plan (with a 40% wine discount) since the food quality is down in free areas overall (from what I read) with all these specialty restaurants added. The drink package is a stretch unless non-alcoholic or a great deal
We were on a RCCL cruise once, an excursion was delayed due to a mud slide. The ship waited for them to get back. However, another group on a similar 3rd party excursion, who also got caught behind the mudslide, didn't make it back in time and all got left behind.
i just booked a cruise for Feb 2024 (taking advantage of the EARLY booking discounts), but there is no packages available to purchase. any idea on when that stuff starts showing up to add on and purchase?
You can have a much better WJ experience on embarkation day if you are willing to wait a little bit. 15 minutes after they announce rooms are ready no less than half the diners in the WJ will clear out. We usually just get a snack when we first get on board at a complimentary venue and a drink (or two) and chill until they announce rooms are ready. Then leisurely head to the WJ for a much more manageable experience.
Why not eat in the dining rooms instead of wind jammer cafe?
@@sariel8406 the dining room is not open on embarkation day for lunch
When we cruise we have so far always requested a check-in time of 1-1:30 so we have never had to wait for a “rooms are available” announcement. This is helpful when cruising with an elderly parent.
FYI, not impressed with the WJ on the Oasis. For a ship of that size, there should be more than 4-5 kiosks of food (per side). Carnival does the buffet much better. Can’t say enough about the main dining room (My Time Dining), the service and food was beyond excellent!
That is actually pretty amazing advice and I am gonna try that when we go on our next cruise!
I always ask if anchovies are available for my Caesar salad, and of course they always are, they just never appear on the menu. I can never compliment Royal’s staff enough. We sailed Wonder ots last April and I couldn’t locate sandwiches in the Windjammer. An officer noticed that I seemed a bit lost and asked if he could help. After explaining my issue, he asked for my patience as he located my requested food item, but returned empty handed. Apparently there weren’t any sandwiches. He left but returned a few minutes later with three sandwich options for me to choose from which he acquired from the Park Cafe located on another deck. I was blown away by this officer’s outstanding customer service. I’m definitely loyal to Royal.
Regarding the beverage package, if your cabin mate has a Dr. Note stating that they cannot drink alcohol or sugary drinks RC will NOT force any drink package on your cabin mate. This is seldom mentioned and it should.
Lmao sugary drinks. 🤡🤡🤡
@@chrisharwood5448 what's so funny about that?
I learned this from one of your previous videos. There are tons of Walk through of ships online. It's a good way to get a better understanding of the ship as well as what's on the ship. Did that for Radiance of the Seas and saw we could go on the helipad. Super happy about that.
This little tip I learned about myself. When you're on the ship. If they have an open area with little light at night. Usually in the Adults only area. If you go out at night, and look up. You can see the stars so well, it's breath taking. I had to shield the sides of my eyes some times, but I swear I could see the milky way. Even saw some shooting stars as well on a couple cruises doing so.
Excellent tip!
I always make it a point to go up to the top deck and look at the stars, it truly is breathtaking!! This is a great tip!!!
First cruise coming up and we did NOT know you can call to get around buying the drink package for both adults! I’m pregnant so my husband was a little bummed we couldn’t get the package for just him but this is going to be a game changer!! Thank you!
Glad this helped!
This helped me as well. Question @royalcaribbeanblog, so I don’t purchase and just call them with the request and how soon should I call and request this workaround, we sail 12/22?
Me and my wife did this definitely a good tip
Im gonna add you do have to buy a non alcoholic drink package instead. Also the drink package is only worth it if you drink alot. Takes about 6-7 beverages a day to make your money on it. If he only drinks 4 -5 drinks a day its probably cheaper not to buy the package
I saw on another TH-cam page now with all of the flights being delayed a simple GPS tracker inside of your luggage when flying is a good way to keep track of where your luggage is. Because the airlines don't always scan those barcodes so at least you'll know where your suitcase is if when you arrive and your poor destination and they say your suitcase is still where you took off from but you can see that it is where it's supposed to be the cruise line as a cruiser then you can show them at the airport the suitcase is somewhere here I see it on my phone so get a GPS tracker and place it inside your suitcase
Didn’t know my kiddos are young enough to be complimentary at speciality dining locations! Awesome
Book packages, excursions, and onboard gifts around Black Friday... I got as much as 50% on some things.
Wonderful tips..Thank you so much! Thanks to your videos I feel super prepared for my 1st ever cruise.
I was on Royal Caribbean last week until Friday last week and it was the best cruise I have ever had and it was so fun because they had bumper cars a indoor pool a outdoor pool nice restaurants and I went to Alaska on it for my first time last week while I was on it and they do game shows on the cruise like the broken link and love and marriage and so much more if you go on it. Last week when I was on royal Caribbean I was on one of there ships called the ovation of the sea and there are 16 decks for you and 1-2 more for the crew on the ship.
Thank you for including the off-season months for Australia! The south pacific, Australia and NZ aren't as big a market as the Caribbean but RCI has a significant presence here sailing out of Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
He mentioned April but that includes school holidays in parts of Australia so imagine that is a peak time.
Tip number 2 just saved me nearly $400 🤩 TFS!❤
So glad!
This video was perfect! When I took my first cruise about 10 years ago, I did a lot of research months in advance. I did many of the same things presented in this video and it made my first cruise immensely enjoyable.
My favorite tips:
1. Bring your swim gear and essentials for the rest of the day in your carry-on. You don’t know when your checked luggage will show up at your stateroom.
2. Get on the ship as early as possible. Ride the heck out of the Flowrider and water slides. Do the rock climbing wall and zip line. This avoids the brutal lines on sea days.
3. Eat lunch on the ship on embarkation day - you paid for it! If the Windjammer is too busy, not a problem, there are plenty of other places onboard.
Great job as always. Appreciate this summary video to give to my friends that are considering cruising for the first time.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks Matt. 77 days till our honeymoon cruise to Hawaii on Radiance!
I am going to Alaska on Quantum in a week! Can't wait, thank you for the videos!
You just found yourself a new subscriber! Hoping to sail on my first Royal cruise in 2024 so I will be watching past and currents video’s you put out! Thank you!👏👏
Welcome aboard!
18 days to quantum of the seas to Alaska, getting excited, appreciate all your tips and tricks
We're doing the same thing next year or the next.
Did you lose going to see the glaciers because of one of the engines dying😢 we booked a balcony suite so we could see the glaciers from our balcony.
@@yvonneziemba4216 I have not received any itinerary changes yet
I think Quantum cruises in August and early Sept are ones likely to be most affected by the engine repairs. We are on the Sept 5 sailing and considering moving to another ship during that time period if we can find alternate airline tix.
We are going in august and lost the glaciers but they compensated us with a refund of 1 day of our cruise fare per person in ship credit that can be cashed out if not used. Not perfect but better than nothing.
Thanks Matt! Awesome video!
Glad you liked it!
I sure appreciate your videos Matt!
Glad to hear it!
Thanks for your wonderful compliments for travel advisors. We work so hard and want our clients to have the best possible experience.
Our pleasure!
You are the best TH-cam on cruises!
Thanks so much
Cruises are so popular and so fully booked where i live that repricing is unheard of.
Thanks Matt for the tips. I was a travel agent for 17 years. I took the time to make sure my clients had all the information needed for a great cruise. I booked pre and post stays as well as checking fares to see if the price went down and got the rate locked in.
It's amazing how many people refuse to use a TA or are completely unaware of their benefits.
that's great. I had one once and she didn't do a good job. poor communication and didn't check for price changes. never used another agent again.
Check in at your muster station as soon as you get on the ship. It is usually on one of the lower decks and you can knock it out and not have to worry about it anymore.
Great idea. If you have a very early boarding time the muster stations may not be open yet
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Very good point. We embarked at 11:15 and there is no muster at our station so we went to the WJ and ate lunch and sorted out some guest services issues and still waited for a muster worker. No biggie. They came like 10 min later
We sailed on Oasis in May, and the muster drill was done on the RCCL app. We only had to show proof of its completion to a staff member. Super quick and efficient!
Great job with all the tips and reminders. Another good tip is to be sure to have some type of identifying marker like a colorful ribbon or string on your suitcase as it can help you find it quicker if the suitcase doesn’t end up at your door and is down the hallways
That's a great idea!
I do this every time I fly as well so I can always tell which one is mine at baggage claim 👍🏻
You are the best
Thanks for the tips Matt! We sail on Adventure if the seas in 23 days. (We did Anthem in 2019) Even though we’ve sailed before we always can benefit from new tips!
Txs so much. Taking G’kids on Oasis in July. I wrote a note to try Johnnie rockets for Bfast 👏👍🏼😋
I will follow these tips on my next cruise.
Thank you for the true & tried tips, Matt! So super helpful 👍🏼 we will be on Wonder of the Seas embarking out of Barcelona end of August.
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
I take my makeup, shampoo etc and put it in my carryon. We fly so we have to pack it in our checked bag. I also put a change of clothes or what I am going to be wearing at night in my carryon. This is so if my luggage comes to my cabin later I have everything I need. We never eat in the windjammer the first day. The exception was on the Wonder where the windjammer is bigger and there are more tables.
Good idea!
Always top notch information. Sending to my parents who are going on their first cruise
Thanks!
Thank You so much for all the information we are going on Freedon of the Sea on Aug. 8th and it's a family of about 10 of us some of course children and it is their first time lol Also took your advice and fling in the day before. So thank you Matt for all your help!! Glad your are feeling better
Wonderful!
Great tips!
Glad you like them!
Another fabulous video filled with tips and tricks! Thank you so much!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for ALL your helpful videos!! We leave in one week for a cruise on the Ovations of the Sea to Alaska. You videos have made preparing for our cruise less stressful!!
Glad it was helpful!
the star gazing tip is priceless!!!
My parents booked our cruise on their honeymoon 19 months before the sailing so they got a wicked deal
The meme got my attention 😂
I book my cruises 18 months to 2 years in advance. It helps immensely in getting great pricing and the cabin we want. The only time you can reliably get a better deal is if you're only a few days out and you're willing to book the absolute last minute to fill a spot, but obviously, there are lots of downsides to that method. Unless you're retired and live right next to a cruise port, you're going to have a lot of trouble making that work.
I actually should take advantage of the last minute deals. I literally live an hour away from a port in Galveston, but have never gone on a cruise. I will be going on my 1st one in December and made the mistake of just now reserving. I'm sure I've lost quite a bit of savings by waiting this long.
Good tips Matt! Thanks!
Happy to help!
Thanks for the great video. Hopefully mine will be as good some day.
My cruise ship
I booked is almost at cap
Also If you fly in early make sure you book hotel very very far in advance
The hotels in Vancouver is going for almost 400 a night
You kept saying to book through Travel Agent. We did and got so confused and had a terrible experience. we ended up go back to do it ourselves online. Easier to do it online yourself than book it thru a travel agent you don’t know and they don’t know you.
Not all travel agents are the same, just like not all car mechanics, lawyers, or barbers are the same. You have to find a good one that works well with you. I can recommend a great agent to use.
I had a similar experience as you. poor communication, lost credit for a future cruise because of her and asking her to do things didn't go over well. will not use a TA again. easier to do it myself. less stressful.
I have a bit to say on a few things. But post Covid you want to fly in 2 days in advance. Until the airlines get their act together.
My flight to Miami was delayed 25 hours. And my bag was lost. If that had been the day before I would have been doomed.
Unfortunately your example is exactly why it's so important to fly in early
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Yeah. I don’t think a day before cuts it these days.
Also always travel with your passport. ALWAYS. Had a bunch of Europeans denied boarding because they showed up at Jewel without passports. I guess pre Brexit they didn’t need it 🤷♂️. But they need it now.
Thanks!
Thanks so much, Jeff!
Johnny Rockets wasn't open for breakfast in April on Oasis ☹️
That was a temporary staffing issue, not a policy change.
What are some of the best places to stay before the trip at port Canaveral?
Does Johnny Rockets have burgers for breakfast? I’m not crazy about breakfast foods.
can you talk about those with mobility issues .... ie walker scooter, or wheelchair . what assistance is available and is there shore excursions they can do
Thank you Matt for all the information for a fool-proof cruise. We are first time cruisers and am so excited to board the Allure of the Seas. Celebrating our first granddaughter's graduation and accomplishments (she deserves it). When you can if possible, can you please forward a paper copy of the Cruise Compass. I know they are going to do away with paper, but we just wanted to discuss it with our grands and group. I am a visual learner and just wanted a recent paper copy. Thanks! Have a wonderful day.
I wish we could book shows online before boarding. I’m not seeing the point of not being able to.
Hi Matt! Do you know if the repricing rules have changed for Australia? Is it true we now only have 48 hours to reprice?
I chose my time dining assuming that meant I could go on my time, when I'm ready, but you said make a reservation when you get on ship. Is this for all days or each day you have to make a reservation?
My time dining always has a long wait time.
In the past we have made a reservation for the same time all week. Go see the Maitre d' when you embark and try to get a reservation for the week. At dinner ask the waiter if you can just come back to that table each day that way you have everything set, and may be able to bypass the line. That was pre-COVID. Not sure if that still applies but you can give it a try. We've been doing main seating since getting back into cruising so I'm not sure how that will work.
May I add one to the Shore Excursions? Book early! I've missed out on a few when I waited to book onboard. By the time I got on the ship, many of them were sold out!
Another good tip!
Thanks Matt for the wonderful tips. There's one though, avoid going to the guest service during embarkation day. The queue is really long and we probably might spend more time queuing than getting the issues addressed. There was once there is no towels in my stateroom, so I just called up the housekeeping using the phone in the room. We told them we will be out for lunch and they sent us the towels by the time we got back from lunch.
Great tip!
Are we allowed to take our suitcase on ship ourselves?
They take up to your deck and they leave It in the hallway near your room and you find it and bring it to your room I know that because I was on one of there cruises last week.
Do you get double loyalty points when sailing solo in a double cabin on RCL?
Yes
Any tips on Parking at ports? Going on my first cruise in a couple a weeks and I was wonder if I should buy parking in advance at Port Canaveral or wait till I get there. Thanks!
I always recommend parking at the port for the convenience
I just finished a 8 day cruise on Alure of the seas. Windjammer never had an omelet station. Very disappointing.
Do you need a passport for the Caribbean cruises?
Yes
oops I just got my answer about the cruise compass.
Thanks for the tips Matt. We’re on the Odyssey in a few weeks and I’ve done everything you suggested. Packages are purchased as well as excursions and we have the earliest check in time. I’m running into one roadblock. We’re sailing out of Rome and are flying in on Saturday for a Sunday sailing. I called RC about a transfer from the airport Hilton and they couldn’t help me because I didn’t have a Sunday flight to give them. Now I’m trying to find a private transfer to the port. I’ve not been to this port in about ten years and from what I’ve seen on TH-cam it looks like RC has a new embarkation area. Do you know how close a private vehicle can get to this area? I’m very frustrated that the RC rep was unwilling to give me any help or information specific to the port. Thanks in advance to anyone who has information.
Is allure going to be refurbished this year?
No
In regards to choosing a travel agent the only downside is that if you book a suite classr oom you do not get the double points advantage. That is why I book on my own but I do see the benefit of having somebody do all the leg work for you if that's what works for you.
You're incorrect. Booking with a TA or not will get you double points. Not sure why you believe otherwise, but I can assure you you do get double points booking a suite.
When school starts back and vacation time is over the cruise lines are facing very choppy waters! They should know what’s in store for them and they’ll be begging people to cruise, vaccinated or not!!
We shall see, but I don't think that will be the case.
Lots of people can't wait for kids to go back to school so they can cruise without 100s of kids onboard.
Totally disagree. I now refuse to cruise during school vacation times as normally too many kids on board. My next three cruises are in non school vacation months. Yes, I do have grown children who did cruise with us when they were young. Both daughters were Diamond Plus before they graduated from high school.
do you have any recommendations for a travel agent....im so overwhelmed
I recommend, and personally use, MEI Travel
If you go to the helipad in Galveston, you are likely to see dolphins!
Third party excursion companies often guarantee refund if ship schedule changes and also guarantee you will not miss the ship or they will pay to fly you to the next port to meet the ship. In St. Martaan, we arrived 3 hours late. I contacted the company and was told as soon as they confirmed that the ship arrived too late for the excursion, I got an immediate refund. I have loved every private excursion I have done. I’ve been extremely disappointed in every cruise line excursion I have done.
I am so over the cruise line excursion. They’re way to comfortable trying to juice you for money by charging for extras like pictures of activities you’ll want pics of. Private excursion usually include photos.
Where can you book private excursions? I like this idea better
@@coldhunni814 I paid extra for photos when feeding stingrays at stingray city in grand cayman on a private excursions. But we were actually allowed to feed stingrays. Most excursions were not. We were a small boat, not overcrowded like the cruise line excursions were and we went to the same place.
The problem is, the pre-purchase option for shore excursions, drink packages, etc. don't work. I've tried it a dozen times over the last month, and it always errors out when trying to complete the order.
You probably have a browser plug-in or anti virus that’s blocking it. Try a different web browser
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog That went even more poorly. It kicks you back to the password screen.
Love the tips Matt. We have 4 upcoming cruises. Question though. We just made Diamond and was wondering if you know if we bought the drink package, can we use the vouchers for someone else? Thanks.
Craig, Congratulations on Diamond. AFAIK, you will have 4 drinks per day on your card. As an experiment, you can try just going with the C&A drinks on your card. If that is not enough after the first few days of your cruise, you can always pay as you go, or get the package for the remainder of your cruise. FWIW, on my last few cruises, I only used my full card allowance one day but I am not much of a drinker. (Now that Matt has said how good the lava flow is, and it is, I could see an extra glass or two ) Hope this helps.
Is it 12 bottles of water per person? Or per stateroom?
Per stateroom
where do we find past cruise compases?
www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass
Is NA beer allowed? I didn't think that could be brought on board.
I don't think so because it's technically still beer
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog yes, that's what I thought. But you were saying "NA drinks", which makes it less clear.
do you hook people up with jobs ?
Do you not get charged if the port is skipped?
Correct
Can you find past cruise compasses online
www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass
Never knew about not getting a dinning package for kids.
Never bought one for my kids!
how so you find a "good" travel agent
Word of mouth. I recommend MEI Travel
When did they start enforcing check in times? We always get there as early as we can and they never make us wait until our official check in time. Our last cruise was pre covid though.
Since cruises restarted in 2021
Good information but what in the Heck is the Wind Ja Mare??
Windjammer!
It is a family joke, hilarious!
is it weird that the water slides and thrill rides are deal breakers for me?
Nope!
Assuming that is Eddie Murphy in your thumbnail, I'd recommend rethinking the use of that image. Your channel can get dinged for it. A famous TH-camr (wildlife) lost his channel because his intro had (small and brief) a cutout of a snakes head that apparently was used without permission. The owner of the image abused the TH-cam complaint system and used one image to file three complaints and the channel was taken down permanently for violating the 3 strikes policy.
It is a person, Kayode Ewumi, who is mistaken in a popular meme as Eddie Murphy.
@@wood8176 Ah... that clears things up 🙂
Is it just me or was he saying “Windjammer” weird?
It’s a long-standing inside joke with Matt. He pronounces it differently for effect.
Don't book royal caribbean horrible experience bad bad bad service special from Rome . Bad food after 10 pm only horrible pizza . No fun on board. Bumper car only for 2 minutes . Go for other like NCL or Carnival .
me and my family are going on an october cruise
Another fool proof tip is to use apple AirTags in your luggage, they made it so easy to track our luggage on the symphony. 🛳
I'm trying AirTags out next cruise
yes! we did that too. also left one in our car to help find it in the port parking lot.
Where do you purchase air tags and what’s an average cost?
My biggest tips from 4 cruises are always going to third-party excursions and book yourself. You can beat the crowds and see amazing things, like Unesco Dolphin/ray/turtle Shows, climbing the waterfall before anyone gets there, and eating jerk chicken with a red stripe with the locals, all day private island. Sure it's not guaranteed, but hey I did it with no issues. Everlasting impressions away from others. So far in 2022, the only "deals" I see are the Ultimate food plan (with a 40% wine discount) since the food quality is down in free areas overall (from what I read) with all these specialty restaurants added. The drink package is a stretch unless non-alcoholic or a great deal
We were on a RCCL cruise once, an excursion was delayed due to a mud slide. The ship waited for them to get back. However, another group on a similar 3rd party excursion, who also got caught behind the mudslide, didn't make it back in time and all got left behind.
@tom what third party places did you use I am going to Jamaica and the Bahamas next year and all the excursions look way overpriced online
As a solo traveler, is it still Important to make reservations for my time dining?
Yes, it only benefits you
i just booked a cruise for Feb 2024 (taking advantage of the EARLY booking discounts), but there is no packages available to purchase. any idea on when that stuff starts showing up to add on and purchase?
Hey Matt, big fan here. Do you think you will ever do a tour of a vision class ship? Thanks!
That's the plan!
GREAT INFO 👍🏾👍🏾
Glad it was helpful!