Best tip here is staying on the ship during port days. So many people think that ship completely closes down at port and that is insane talk. Great video as always! Thanks!
I spent 30 days on Majestic and didn't get off even once, lol! I felt like i've been there, done that and just enjoyed a nearly empty ship. It was really cool actually, i found places i hadn't been to onboard as well as other people who hadn't left the ship either. Movies in theatre were shown, eateries were open for lunch and i was surprised to see so many people in there.
It depends. Some shore excursions are boring and poorly organized but others happen to be exciting and very enjoyable. Many people buy insanely overpriced and useless for light drinkers drink packages and get drunk on port days. We prefer spending our money on the best shore excursions instead.
So I understand it doesn't matter to you what is your cruise itinerary, where are you sailing. It does matter to us. We love seeing new wonderful places, enjoying exciting excursions, taking photos and videos, seeing, learning and enjoying a lot.
The fact that everyone in a family doesn't HAVE to do everything together is what's unique about cruises. The Simpsons episode about cruising hit the nail on the head. Another wierdness about cruising: Magnetic hooks and over-the-door shoe organizers. The only travelers who use these are cruisers.
We have done more than 65 cruises. Have never ever used those hooks - and never will. I just do not see the need - they take up room in our luggage and hanging stuff on them in the cabin is not my way of tidying up. I find it looks more messy. 🤷
Ok, this is hilarious. That’s our family at the hibachi table at 9:55. It was the 1/6/2024 sailing on Odyssey. Were you on that sailing Matt, sneakily recording us? 😂
We booked through Next Cruise for 21 months in advance to coincide with Christmas break for our twin’s first year in college. What I didn’t expect was that this same cruise - still 7 months away - is nearly $5000 more than the day I booked it!!
I Stayed on board on RCI, went to the Spa. I got the best pedicure ever because technician had a lot of time for my horrendously calloused feet! Tipped her big! ❤
Calling the cruise to book can be just as helpful as calling a TA but with less risk. I’ve always booked online but for our last trip we called. They were able to compare the current deals/discounts to find the best deal for us and ended up adding on a few perks (like a bottle of wine). Took the same amount of time as booking online but ensured we got as good a deal as possible.
Booking two rooms is absolutely valid. I had booked an interior virtual balcony for me and three adult kids. Realized this made zero sense in terms of space and watched prices. I have since upgraded to two ocean balcony rooms and paid an additional $650 total for a massive upgrade. It wouldn’t have cost anything out of pocket for two interior rooms from what I’d already paid, but I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and treat us. And this is on Utopia so older ships would absolutely have this option. Royal Caribbean said rooms for four or more are in super high demand for summer and spring break times, so the two person rooms are cheaper and way more comfortable
I think 6-8 months ahead is a good amount of time. I have been on many cruises and have never used a travel agent. The Royal website is easy to use. I booked two cruises in about an hour. I just don't see the point of involving another person. It isn't very difficult once you've done it once. Looking forward to Liberty Of The Seas in 72 days!
I thought the same thing you did about just booking through the Royal Caribbean website. Until I decided to give Matt’s MEI travel agents a try. I booked back to back cruises myself and then reached out to MEI and the agent claimed the booking and rebooked for me. When I booked through Royal Caribbean the cruises were $4700 total. When she rebooked it I got it for $3500 total. That… is why you use a good agent.
@@MerriHaub-er6crI feel it’s a bit of an American thing being able to get it cheaper. I’m from Australia and tried a few travel agents before booking though the website as every single time the travel agents were a lot more expensive. I like the idea of a contact person incase it goes badly but couldn’t justify the extra price
I like the stay on the ship in port. I did on Symphony during New Years Cruise, best decision. Quiet, Solarium was quieter. Will do that on Icon in October for sure.
We have booked all of our upcomming cruises 2 years in advance as they release dates during black friday! Got some really good prices for all 3 of them especially the one we booked for August this year for a 2 week cruise from Southampton in a Junior suite for 4 of us.
I never took a cruise, but I sniffed around booking websites once, just to see what things cost and it seemed all the cruises I was even remotely interested in were pretty much booked for 2 years. Meaning, it doesn't seem like some clever trick to save money, but simply a necessity to book years in advance. Unfortunately that pretty much disqualifies cruises for me. I can definitely not plan that far ahead. Even when planning vacations just half a year ahead, there is always some BS coming up and getting in the way and that is happening to me, a single loner. I can't even imagine what it would be like if I had a family and would have to get the schedules of 3 or more people to line up and not have anyone be sick or some other crap happening. Looking back, I really can't come up with any moment in time where I would have known 2 years earlier where and in what condition I would be at that moment, how much money I would have and how much free time. There hasn't been a 2 year span in my life where not some drama and big changes I had no power over happened. Having to change jobs, having to move, being injured, my father having another stroke, my father's dog needing a expensive medical procedure, having to renovate a apartment after the tenants ruined it, being sued because tenants grew mold in your apartment and then claimed it was there before they moved in, having to buy a new car because the old one gives up the ghost, relatives needing money for medical treatments their insurance doesn't pay, people dying. The thought of that much stability that you know where you will be and how much time you will have 2 years in advance is outright alien and ludicrous to me. Who has that?
Booking early is so important - also getting lucky with pricing at the time. I randomly (with no knowledge that Icon of the Seas even existed) happened to be searching for accommodation options in Miami for our planned summer 2024 holiday within a couple of days of Icon tickets first going on sale. As a result we changed our hotel plans and flipped one week of our trip to a cruise instead and got a pretty great price. Right now the same trip in summer 2025 is 80% more than we paid - so it's unlikely I'll be sailing on any Icon ships for the foreseeable future.
Just got back from Freedom of the Seas. Nassau port is so much better now compared to 2 years ago. Much cleaner. I actually like Nassau better than CocoCay. Cant wait for my next cruise! Might tey Icon of the Seas or one of the Oasis classes...the food on the ship did go downhill tho 😢
Another tip for new cruisers is that they can save money by not booking the latest, greatest ship in the fleet. Booking an older ship can provide many of the same amenities, but for a lower fare.
I've only been on one Cruise, and I'll go back on that Cruise, every year; "70,000 Tons Of Metal." It is on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Here is my tip. Pick the earliest time to get on the ship on embarkation day, or one of the earliest. You've heard of the funny saying, "Hurry Up, And Wait?" Well, in this case, that makes sense. It is better to hurry up and wait, than it is to wait and hurry up. If you hurry up and wait, at least you'll be waiting on the ship.
I booked my second cruise and it’s like my do over from my first cruise. I will be going on a 3 night with allure of the seas. I’m excited and scared at same time
I am definitely considering staying in port on an upcoming cruise next May, one of the stops is in Haiti. Haiti is currently on a level 4 travel advisory which is not good, plus there is nothing of interest I have in Haiti, perfect time to stay on the ship.
Tried to book my first cruise 2 years out, but it was full for the dates I could travel. Nearly a 3 year wait. Now looking forward to my next cruise.. in 2 years.
Adventure ocean is top-notch. My six-year-old loves loves loves it. Totally comfortable leaving her on the ship. If there was an issue, I’m quite certain they would be able to track me down.
I've booked a year in advance, but not two. The rate was lower and the ability to have the entire cruise paid for ahead of time so you don't come home to a major bill to pay is a relief. I've been on a cruise where there were two ports I'd already been to and the excursions were not appealing. So I stayed on the ship. I always use an agent. Mine will argue with the idiots on the phone instead of me! They get me the best insurance, the best room, and the best connecting flights to the cruise ports.
Will have been to the Bahamas for the 3rd time in a year come December. Come December, we plan on staying on the ship for the most part and taking advantage of the empty ship.
I was wondering about the leaving the kids on board. They told us to leave both of our kids but we felt weird doing that because the phone won’t work out there.. maybe we’ll try it one day bc my kids LOVE the kids club!
I can''t imagine not being available to get to my kids in case they have an emergency or get ill, esp. in a foreign country. And I have no idea about the people "caring" for them.....not for me.
Another super video Matt, thanks! I’m Pinnacle so I’ve cruised a bunch. I struggle with why I could get a a better rate using a TA. I don’t understand why they can’t give me the net-savings by booking direct, other than they don’t need to do that.
Because often agencies have special rates. You’d be surprised how often there are better group or agency rate. Not to mention they just make your life easier by saving you time. I’d rather text my needs to my agent than wait and call to speak to someone
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog I used a TA for a booking. She asked me the booking questions that are in RC. I was online and could see what she was going to ask. No extras no help. What TA do you use?
As a travel advisor I am seeing a different demographic but also a rise in first timers wanting to use me as a free google search and get all the information only to then take these efforts and prices and try to save money or book direct thinking they are getting a better deal. It's a different dynamic all round in so many ways atm
My family have been on two cruises and about to go on our third. I enjoy your videos and format but really wish you covered more of the northern trips and ships.
All of my children are adults, so they’ll be getting their own stateroom. If they want to stay or get off the ship, that's on them. Hopefully, I will see them at dinner or one of the shows😂
Sometimes. that is how we travel, too. They do their stuff, we do ours. And in the evening we meet at dinner. Did that in Norway last year and it was great.
Matt as always your tips sound great! We probably won’t use the one about leaving the kids on the ship while going to the ports, it does seem a bit scary. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can change travel agents? I listened to you and used MEI travel, our agent isn’t as helpful as I’ve asked several times about help with airplane and hotel accommodations and haven’t received anything. Our trip is in November and we should probably start looking into those things. Thanks for everything!
Yet every time I check prices for a cruise we booked last year on Liberty, for this August, no matter what the "super discount of the day is" from RCL that day, the cost is within dollars of what we booked it at last September on Liberty. Why is that?
Not a cruise, but on a family trip to Hawaii several years ago I went on the website to check in for our flight home on the last day but United messed up the flight reservation. Called the travel agent, talked to her for about 5 minutes, then SHE contacted United to fix it, allowing me to spend my last afternoon there on the beach with my family instead of on hold with United. This was also just days after Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines, two of the largest operators between Hawaii and the mainland at the time, both shut down with no notice in the same week, so I doubt I would have gotten anywhere with a minimum wage callcenter employee anyway.
For going on a cruise with a large group do you recommend using walkie talkies? If so, what is a good brand to get? Or what other way would you suggest communicating amongst my group?
It has to be weird to a new cruiser to join a roll call group and also to sign up for events like a cabin crawl, slot pull, gift exchange or group meet up
Leaving your kids on board the ship while you go experience somewhere does seem weird. When my family plans a trip we usually factor in events that are appropriate for everyone. After all, it's a family vacation.
Book through a travel agent is a MUST. Cruise vacations are complex. The cruise line WANTS you to have a great vacation. Because of how complex cruise vacations are, It Is In The Best Interest Of The Cruise Line That You Use A Travel Agent. Cruise lines pay commissions because they realize that independent travel agents provide better customer service than their own staff can. This is especially important should something go wrong (missed connections, flight cancellations, overbooked hotel, etc.) This is especially important if you have Special Needs, whether it be dietary restrictions, mobility issues (some cruise lines restrict where you can park a mobility scooter., such as not allowing cruisers to park mobility scooters in the hallway outside their stateroom), CPAP user, sensory issues, etc. Let your travel agent know about your Special Needs, even if they are minor (such as needing a lower fat diet, CPAP user, etc.). Some cruise lines are better at accommodating certain Special Needs when compared to other cruise lines. The cruise line you think is right for you might not be the right cruise line for you. (For example, my friend and I were booked on Disney. Neither of us are Disney fans, nor do we have kids. Both of us have dietary restrictions; my friend's dietary restrictions are complex, due to multiple medical problems. The travel agent told us that Disney was the right line for us, because they are known to do a really good job handling complex Special Needs. Sadly, my friend became seriously ill and now can't cruise at all. Again, our agent came to the rescue. We purchased travel insurance. Between Disney and the travel insurance, we got all the money we had already paid for the trip back--and that included what I paid. This is important because I am a single adult, no kids and I'm definitely NOT a fan of Disney. The travel agent said that Disney would not be a good fit for me, that I would be happier on Viking Cruises or any cruise line that caters to lifelong learners. Another important tip: Always buy APPROPRIATE travel insurance. I've had to use mine twice.
Something newbies might find weird: The price you see listed is not remotely close to the price you'll likely pay. Do you want to pick your own room, with a balcony, closer to mid ship, and have some drinks on that balcony while surfing the internet.....? And then do you want a massage before heading to the steakhouse the night before your shore excursion? I imagine most people pay 2-3 times the advertised price.
Travel agents dont have better deals all the time. It depends on the sailing. But I'd say better than half the cruises they quote me are better than I see online.
What is your family made of? I have two kiddos and trying to figure out if it’s worth it to do 2 rooms because of the kids sail free promotion - we can sail anytime since we homeschool
@@angelofmusic1026 we have to do summer or we would do the kids sail free in one room. This one was almost 300dollars difference between 2-2 person rooms and 1 four person room.
We have 2 booked in 2025, and 2 booked in 2026. I had one booked in Jan this year and booked it 2 years ago and one coming in September that i booked about a year ahead
Honestly, the one to two years early is why we struggle with going on a cruise. It's too far away foe us and we just can't wait and still pay for it. We will forget and then spend all the money on vacations we can do more immediately.
Leaving ur kid is ok, however we accidently forgot we had a kid still with us as we left them 2 times on the ship but then the one time we took them off ship, we forgot them. Oh well, one day we we'll find them again, or they might find us who knows.
No. And Yes. As I understand it, a guaranteed cabin is for a TYPE of cabin. You get to pick the type of cabin, but not the location. Some cabins can be noisy if they're near the anchor or the tender platform or under the pool deck or nightclub, for instance. The balconies of some cabins may get sooty if they are in the path of the fallout from the cruise ship funnel. Some rooms in odd locations might have unusual layouts or bed arrangements. On the plus side there's a secondary benefit of booking a guarantee cabin beyond the cost savings: If the cruise line sells out of your cabin type, it will move you up to the next available category. If you were going to pick the cheapest inside cabin anyway and don't care about its location, why not book the guarantee? You might be bumped up to a better category within that cabin type if all the cheapest ones are booked and paid for. That could mean a slightly larger room or a better location on the ship.
@@bugwar5545 have you ever been upgraded from a guarantee interior cabin? What matt is referencing is how a "Guarantee" cabin is not actually Guaranteed. If the cruise line overbooks the ship you can be dropped even if you were fully paid for and vacations and time from work already planned. On top of that you may not get notified until days before and even the day of. Google it. It honestly is a gamble, however, even know the gamble I've still booked guarantees and never been on the negative side of the coin. Just food for thought because canceled vacations can be very costly when it comes to travel and PTO and multiple peoples schedules lining up.
Currently, ships are often completely booked. The guarantee does not guarantee that you will even have a cabin, if there are no available cabins. RC often is 103% or more full so in those cases, the guarantee folks stay home.
We booked our first repositioning cruise from Seattle to Tokyo for this Fall. Since it’ll be cold we picked an interior, virtual balcony. Mostly out of curiosity. We knew we’d be risking location but it was a really good deal. Our understanding is that these cruises aren’t usually filled to capacity. I’ll admit, it didn’t occur to us that we could possibly get bumped off the cruise. But if we get bumped it’s no big deal. We’ll just fly out to our destination. Thanks for the insight. It was very helpful.
@@jackmortimer329 "... does not guarantee that you will even have a cabin..." Where did you get such a wrong idea? If Royal Caribbean offers you the option for a guaranteed cabin, then there is at least one cabin open. If there are no cabins available, then you won't be offered the option in the first place.
Very weird and misleading tips. We book our cruises one month or less before the date of departure for best savings. The latest example: I booked the cheapest inside cabin on beautiful MSC Seashore for a 7-day May 5-12 Caribbean cruise for the 2 of us - my wife and I. Booked it on April 16, less than a month before leaving. Paid a total of $810 including all taxes and fees. Received an upgrade to deluxe oceanside balcony on Deck 15 without asking for it. And we never, ever use travel agents because we prefer being in control of our choices and of the prices we pay.
You have to be privileged af to book two years in advance... or just not from the United States. Most people cant do that for a million reasons bedides the obvious.
We have not experienced a Royal Carribean cruise with a lot of children. We typically cruise RC because they usually do not have a lot of children. If you want to cruise with very limited kids - try Oceania.
One thing that bothers me about video cruise information is that they only say what they want you to know, why doesn't this video say the real popular reason why a person should book a cruise 2 years in advance? especially for newbies because THEY DON'T KNOW!!! The idea is to educate people that have never cruised before so that they can be animated to cruise, there are so many people that don't cruise and don't care about cruising and don't know about cruising because they think it's expensive and only for people that are well off, how about telling people that CRUISES CAN BE LAYAWAYED OR FINANCED WITH A REASONABLE DOWN PAYMENT!!! Depending on the price of the cruise of course, and that they can pay it off as they go and have an entire year to pay off their cruise, in some cases they have more time to pay it off, I swear people will learn more from comments than the video itself
@Joemondaking that's not the point, the point is, this helps people that can't afford to pay a vacation instantly, everyone has the right to a vacation but not everyone can pay one in an instant, layawaying a vacation gives people a chance to take one even when they can't afford to pay one all at once, the way cruises work, is that they give you a chance to pay one off if you plan for one way in advance, of course they are not going to allow you to take a cruise until you pay it off, but when you plan for one 2 years in advance, you have time to pay it off, and then you'd be able to take it cause its paid off, by your comment, I don't think you understood how cruising works, if you were thinking that they let you take the cruise while you are paying for it? Lol, no it doesn't work that way, you a get a chance to pay it off first, then you enjoy it
@Joemondaking ok now your comment is becoming somewhat senseless, and I have no clue where your getting at, I was very thorough about explaining the lack of info the video gives on cruises and you misunderstanding about the way cruise vacations work, apparently you didnt understand because if you did you would not have brought up an irrelevant comment based on opinions, my comment is about volunteering factual and important information that was not given on this video regarding cruises, so I don't know what is so hard about understanding something so simple that I explained with articulation, are you trolling? Cause if you are, I have no time for that senseless behavior ok?
Best tip here is staying on the ship during port days. So many people think that ship completely closes down at port and that is insane talk. Great video as always! Thanks!
Totally agreed, this was crazy for us last year on Explorer as it was like a ghost ship when staying on during port days absolutely loved it!
I spent 30 days on Majestic and didn't get off even once, lol! I felt like i've been there, done that and just enjoyed a nearly empty ship. It was really cool actually, i found places i hadn't been to onboard as well as other people who hadn't left the ship either. Movies in theatre were shown, eateries were open for lunch and i was surprised to see so many people in there.
But then you don't get to go to the port...
It depends. Some shore excursions are boring and poorly organized but others happen to be exciting and very enjoyable. Many people buy insanely overpriced and useless for light drinkers drink packages and get drunk on port days. We prefer spending our money on the best shore excursions instead.
So I understand it doesn't matter to you what is your cruise itinerary, where are you sailing. It does matter to us. We love seeing new wonderful places, enjoying exciting excursions, taking photos and videos, seeing, learning and enjoying a lot.
We ALWAYS get two cabins for the four of us - my wife and I in one cabin, and our two adult kids in the other. We all love it!!
Do you get points for each cabin when you book two? If I book two cabins for a 7 day cruise, I want 14 points, not 7!
Each passenger gets their own points.
The fact that everyone in a family doesn't HAVE to do everything together is what's unique about cruises. The Simpsons episode about cruising hit the nail on the head. Another wierdness about cruising: Magnetic hooks and over-the-door shoe organizers. The only travelers who use these are cruisers.
Most cruisers don't even use the metal hooks, they take up too much space in our bags
We have done more than 65 cruises. Have never ever used those hooks - and never will.
I just do not see the need - they take up room in our luggage and hanging stuff on them in the cabin is not my way of tidying up. I find it looks more messy. 🤷
@@jcspotter7322 Too much space?! They're little hooks. What did you buy?
If you need a over the door shoe hanger to organize, you pack too much and/or don't know how to organize effectively.
@@tduck828 correct!
I always book at least 1 year out. Always get a great deal. Ive done that for all my RC CRUISE. and I just did it for the sun princess
Ok, this is hilarious. That’s our family at the hibachi table at 9:55. It was the 1/6/2024 sailing on Odyssey. Were you on that sailing Matt, sneakily recording us? 😂
Thats funny!!
We booked through Next Cruise for 21 months in advance to coincide with Christmas break for our twin’s first year in college. What I didn’t expect was that this same cruise - still 7 months away - is nearly $5000 more than the day I booked it!!
I Stayed on board on RCI, went to the Spa. I got the best pedicure ever because technician had a lot of time for my horrendously calloused feet! Tipped her big! ❤
These are all spot on tips, except for the TA. I've had bad experiences and have learned it's not complicated to book it myself.
Calling the cruise to book can be just as helpful as calling a TA but with less risk. I’ve always booked online but for our last trip we called. They were able to compare the current deals/discounts to find the best deal for us and ended up adding on a few perks (like a bottle of wine). Took the same amount of time as booking online but ensured we got as good a deal as possible.
Excellent video. No annoying music and no face shots of the commentator.
I hate these typical TH-cam voices, though. Lol the weird low to high pitches drive me nuts
Just watching this video I got that euphoria feeling about our next cruise in October. Liberty OTS can't wait to sail her again!
Booking two rooms is absolutely valid. I had booked an interior virtual balcony for me and three adult kids. Realized this made zero sense in terms of space and watched prices. I have since upgraded to two ocean balcony rooms and paid an additional $650 total for a massive upgrade. It wouldn’t have cost anything out of pocket for two interior rooms from what I’d already paid, but I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and treat us. And this is on Utopia so older ships would absolutely have this option. Royal Caribbean said rooms for four or more are in super high demand for summer and spring break times, so the two person rooms are cheaper and way more comfortable
I think 6-8 months ahead is a good amount of time. I have been on many cruises and have never used a travel agent. The Royal website is easy to use. I booked two cruises in about an hour. I just don't see the point of involving another person. It isn't very difficult once you've done it once. Looking forward to Liberty Of The Seas in 72 days!
I thought the same thing you did about just booking through the Royal Caribbean website. Until I decided to give Matt’s MEI travel agents a try. I booked back to back cruises myself and then reached out to MEI and the agent claimed the booking and rebooked for me. When I booked through Royal Caribbean the cruises were $4700 total. When she rebooked it I got it for $3500 total. That… is why you use a good agent.
@@MerriHaub-er6crI feel it’s a bit of an American thing being able to get it cheaper. I’m from Australia and tried a few travel agents before booking though the website as every single time the travel agents were a lot more expensive. I like the idea of a contact person incase it goes badly but couldn’t justify the extra price
I like the stay on the ship in port. I did on Symphony during New Years Cruise, best decision. Quiet, Solarium was quieter. Will do that on Icon in October for sure.
We have booked all of our upcomming cruises 2 years in advance as they release dates during black friday! Got some really good prices for all 3 of them especially the one we booked for August this year for a 2 week cruise from Southampton in a Junior suite for 4 of us.
When we took the kids cruising with us for the first time we booked a second room for them. It also allowed to work the drink packages the right way.
I never took a cruise, but I sniffed around booking websites once, just to see what things cost and it seemed all the cruises I was even remotely interested in were pretty much booked for 2 years. Meaning, it doesn't seem like some clever trick to save money, but simply a necessity to book years in advance.
Unfortunately that pretty much disqualifies cruises for me.
I can definitely not plan that far ahead. Even when planning vacations just half a year ahead, there is always some BS coming up and getting in the way and that is happening to me, a single loner. I can't even imagine what it would be like if I had a family and would have to get the schedules of 3 or more people to line up and not have anyone be sick or some other crap happening.
Looking back, I really can't come up with any moment in time where I would have known 2 years earlier where and in what condition I would be at that moment, how much money I would have and how much free time.
There hasn't been a 2 year span in my life where not some drama and big changes I had no power over happened.
Having to change jobs, having to move, being injured, my father having another stroke, my father's dog needing a expensive medical procedure, having to renovate a apartment after the tenants ruined it, being sued because tenants grew mold in your apartment and then claimed it was there before they moved in, having to buy a new car because the old one gives up the ghost, relatives needing money for medical treatments their insurance doesn't pay, people dying.
The thought of that much stability that you know where you will be and how much time you will have 2 years in advance is outright alien and ludicrous to me.
Who has that?
Booking early is so important - also getting lucky with pricing at the time. I randomly (with no knowledge that Icon of the Seas even existed) happened to be searching for accommodation options in Miami for our planned summer 2024 holiday within a couple of days of Icon tickets first going on sale. As a result we changed our hotel plans and flipped one week of our trip to a cruise instead and got a pretty great price. Right now the same trip in summer 2025 is 80% more than we paid - so it's unlikely I'll be sailing on any Icon ships for the foreseeable future.
Just got back from Freedom of the Seas. Nassau port is so much better now compared to 2 years ago. Much cleaner. I actually like Nassau better than CocoCay. Cant wait for my next cruise! Might tey Icon of the Seas or one of the Oasis classes...the food on the ship did go downhill tho 😢
Another tip for new cruisers is that they can save money by not booking the latest, greatest ship in the fleet. Booking an older ship can provide many of the same amenities, but for a lower fare.
Our teenage son preferred to stay on the ship with other teenagers he met. The teen program was great!
I've only been on one Cruise, and I'll go back on that Cruise, every year; "70,000 Tons Of Metal." It is on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Here is my tip. Pick the earliest time to get on the ship on embarkation day, or one of the earliest. You've heard of the funny saying, "Hurry Up, And Wait?" Well, in this case, that makes sense. It is better to hurry up and wait, than it is to wait and hurry up. If you hurry up and wait, at least you'll be waiting on the ship.
I booked my second cruise and it’s like my do over from my first cruise. I will be going on a 3 night with allure of the seas. I’m excited and scared at same time
I am definitely considering staying in port on an upcoming cruise next May, one of the stops is in Haiti. Haiti is currently on a level 4 travel advisory which is not good, plus there is nothing of interest I have in Haiti, perfect time to stay on the ship.
Tried to book my first cruise 2 years out, but it was full for the dates I could travel. Nearly a 3 year wait. Now looking forward to my next cruise.. in 2 years.
Booking a second cabin on our icon cruise was like $5000 more. So not realistic.
Book an inside across the hall. What kind of cabin were you paying $5000?
Great Info!!! As a travel agent its very important ppl know this
Adventure ocean is top-notch. My six-year-old loves loves loves it. Totally comfortable leaving her on the ship. If there was an issue, I’m quite certain they would be able to track me down.
I've booked a year in advance, but not two. The rate was lower and the ability to have the entire cruise paid for ahead of time so you don't come home to a major bill to pay is a relief.
I've been on a cruise where there were two ports I'd already been to and the excursions were not appealing. So I stayed on the ship.
I always use an agent. Mine will argue with the idiots on the phone instead of me! They get me the best insurance, the best room, and the best connecting flights to the cruise ports.
Will have been to the Bahamas for the 3rd time in a year come December.
Come December, we plan on staying on the ship for the most part and taking advantage of the empty ship.
I was wondering about the leaving the kids on board. They told us to leave both of our kids but we felt weird doing that because the phone won’t work out there.. maybe we’ll try it one day bc my kids LOVE the kids club!
I can''t imagine not being available to get to my kids in case they have an emergency or get ill, esp. in a foreign country. And I have no idea about the people "caring" for them.....not for me.
Another super video Matt, thanks! I’m Pinnacle so I’ve cruised a bunch. I struggle with why I could get a a better rate using a TA. I don’t understand why they can’t give me the net-savings by booking direct, other than they don’t need to do that.
Because often agencies have special rates. You’d be surprised how often there are better group or agency rate.
Not to mention they just make your life easier by saving you time. I’d rather text my needs to my agent than wait and call to speak to someone
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog I used a TA for a booking. She asked me the booking questions that are in RC. I was online and could see what she was going to ask. No extras no help. What TA do you use?
We booked our next cruise via Next Cruise. We were on the Wonder of the Seas in April, and we're going to Alaska in September, 2025.
Booked Alaska land and sea owners suite a month ago for August 2025
1-2 years feels way to short for me. I wish I could book my 50th Anniversary cruise now (10 years out). I felt rushed book our 40th 18 months out.
I booked though Deelightful destinations.
this is good for my royal cruises
As a travel advisor I am seeing a different demographic but also a rise in first timers wanting to use me as a free google search and get all the information only to then take these efforts and prices and try to save money or book direct thinking they are getting a better deal. It's a different dynamic all round in so many ways atm
My family have been on two cruises and about to go on our third. I enjoy your videos and format but really wish you covered more of the northern trips and ships.
All of my children are adults, so they’ll be getting their own stateroom. If they want to stay or get off the ship, that's on them. Hopefully, I will see them at dinner or one of the shows😂
Sometimes. that is how we travel, too. They do their stuff, we do ours. And in the evening we meet at dinner. Did that in Norway last year and it was great.
Good information 👍🏾
Matt as always your tips sound great! We probably won’t use the one about leaving the kids on the ship while going to the ports, it does seem a bit scary. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can change travel agents? I listened to you and used MEI travel, our agent isn’t as helpful as I’ve asked several times about help with airplane and hotel accommodations and haven’t received anything. Our trip is in November and we should probably start looking into those things. Thanks for everything!
We always get 2 rooms because 2 showers and bathrooms are a necessity with teens and tweens!!
Yet every time I check prices for a cruise we booked last year on Liberty, for this August, no matter what the "super discount of the day is" from RCL that day, the cost is within dollars of what we booked it at last September on Liberty. Why is that?
Not a cruise, but on a family trip to Hawaii several years ago I went on the website to check in for our flight home on the last day but United messed up the flight reservation. Called the travel agent, talked to her for about 5 minutes, then SHE contacted United to fix it, allowing me to spend my last afternoon there on the beach with my family instead of on hold with United. This was also just days after Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines, two of the largest operators between Hawaii and the mainland at the time, both shut down with no notice in the same week, so I doubt I would have gotten anywhere with a minimum wage callcenter employee anyway.
For going on a cruise with a large group do you recommend using walkie talkies? If so, what is a good brand to get? Or what other way would you suggest communicating amongst my group?
It has to be weird to a new cruiser to join a roll call group and also to sign up for events like a cabin crawl, slot pull, gift exchange or group meet up
I would never do that.
Leaving your kids on board the ship while you go experience somewhere does seem weird. When my family plans a trip we usually factor in events that are appropriate for everyone. After all, it's a family vacation.
Book through a travel agent is a MUST. Cruise vacations are complex. The cruise line WANTS you to have a great vacation. Because of how complex cruise vacations are, It Is In The Best Interest Of The Cruise Line That You Use A Travel Agent. Cruise lines pay commissions because they realize that independent travel agents provide better customer service than their own staff can. This is especially important should something go wrong (missed connections, flight cancellations, overbooked hotel, etc.) This is especially important if you have Special Needs, whether it be dietary restrictions, mobility issues (some cruise lines restrict where you can park a mobility scooter., such as not allowing cruisers to park mobility scooters in the hallway outside their stateroom), CPAP user, sensory issues, etc. Let your travel agent know about your Special Needs, even if they are minor (such as needing a lower fat diet, CPAP user, etc.). Some cruise lines are better at accommodating certain Special Needs when compared to other cruise lines. The cruise line you think is right for you might not be the right cruise line for you. (For example, my friend and I were booked on Disney. Neither of us are Disney fans, nor do we have kids. Both of us have dietary restrictions; my friend's dietary restrictions are complex, due to multiple medical problems. The travel agent told us that Disney was the right line for us, because they are known to do a really good job handling complex Special Needs. Sadly, my friend became seriously ill and now can't cruise at all. Again, our agent came to the rescue. We purchased travel insurance. Between Disney and the travel insurance, we got all the money we had already paid for the trip back--and that included what I paid. This is important because I am a single adult, no kids and I'm definitely NOT a fan of Disney. The travel agent said that Disney would not be a good fit for me, that I would be happier on Viking Cruises or any cruise line that caters to lifelong learners.
Another important tip: Always buy APPROPRIATE travel insurance. I've had to use mine twice.
Take your shore excursion early and plan to be back on the ship two hours before departure time,
We never leave the ship only when they kick us off lol best days are port visit days and every gets off
I wish I could plan 1-2 years in advance. I just booked the Grandeur of the Seas for July 6th, 2024 🤣
i feel like the in-port days would be the best paying in the casino🤷🏼♂
Something newbies might find weird: The price you see listed is not remotely close to the price you'll likely pay.
Do you want to pick your own room, with a balcony, closer to mid ship, and have some drinks on that balcony while surfing the internet.....?
And then do you want a massage before heading to the steakhouse the night before your shore excursion?
I imagine most people pay 2-3 times the advertised price.
Is Royal still offering the 10 drink savings cards for $99 and can you use them for frozen drinks? Thanks!
Sometimes, yes
Booked with travel agent recently and she did not get me any deals! I was very disappointed 😥
Travel agents dont have better deals all the time. It depends on the sailing. But I'd say better than half the cruises they quote me are better than I see online.
With all the travel agents out there, how do you pick the right one?
Word of mouth recommendations
What’s crazy the last two times I’ve booked cruises. It was actually cheaper for me to book 2 rooms with 2 people in it vs one room with 4 people.
What is your family made of? I have two kiddos and trying to figure out if it’s worth it to do 2 rooms because of the kids sail free promotion - we can sail anytime since we homeschool
@@angelofmusic1026 we have to do summer or we would do the kids sail free in one room. This one was almost 300dollars difference between 2-2 person rooms and 1 four person room.
We have 2 booked in 2025, and 2 booked in 2026. I had one booked in Jan this year and booked it 2 years ago and one coming in September that i booked about a year ahead
Booking with a travel agent might be relevant in USA. It's total crap where I am from you don't get any extra benefits.
If I'm leaving kids on board the ship then I'm going on a ship's shore excursion so there's no chance it's going to leave without me.
Honestly, the one to two years early is why we struggle with going on a cruise. It's too far away foe us and we just can't wait and still pay for it. We will forget and then spend all the money on vacations we can do more immediately.
Why are parts of your video blurry and out of focus? Are they copied?
Did Matt just call out Kenny? Dang!
And booking last minute, even with a travel agent can be pricey
How do you find a good and qualified travel agent?
Word of mouth. I recommend MEI travel
Making plans for our 2026 cruises 👍 Retirement is sweet 😁
Extra cabins for extra bathrooms!
Leaving ur kid is ok, however we accidently forgot we had a kid still with us as we left them 2 times on the ship but then the one time we took them off ship, we forgot them. Oh well, one day we we'll find them again, or they might find us who knows.
Woah
Did you shake out your carry on?
Why are Guaranteed cabins a bad idea?
No. And Yes.
As I understand it, a guaranteed cabin is for a TYPE of cabin. You get to pick the type of cabin, but not the location.
Some cabins can be noisy if they're near the anchor or the tender platform or under the pool deck or nightclub, for instance. The balconies of some cabins may get sooty if they are in the path of the fallout from the cruise ship funnel. Some rooms in odd locations might have unusual layouts or bed arrangements.
On the plus side there's a secondary benefit of booking a guarantee cabin beyond the cost savings: If the cruise line sells out of your cabin type, it will move you up to the next available category. If you were going to pick the cheapest inside cabin anyway and don't care about its location, why not book the guarantee? You might be bumped up to a better category within that cabin type if all the cheapest ones are booked and paid for. That could mean a slightly larger room or a better location on the ship.
@@bugwar5545 have you ever been upgraded from a guarantee interior cabin?
What matt is referencing is how a "Guarantee" cabin is not actually Guaranteed. If the cruise line overbooks the ship you can be dropped even if you were fully paid for and vacations and time from work already planned. On top of that you may not get notified until days before and even the day of. Google it. It honestly is a gamble, however, even know the gamble I've still booked guarantees and never been on the negative side of the coin. Just food for thought because canceled vacations can be very costly when it comes to travel and PTO and multiple peoples schedules lining up.
Currently, ships are often completely booked. The guarantee does not guarantee that you will even have a cabin, if there are no available cabins. RC often is 103% or more full so in those cases, the guarantee folks stay home.
We booked our first repositioning cruise from Seattle to Tokyo for this Fall. Since it’ll be cold we picked an interior, virtual balcony. Mostly out of curiosity. We knew we’d be risking location but it was a really good deal. Our understanding is that these cruises aren’t usually filled to capacity. I’ll admit, it didn’t occur to us that we could possibly get bumped off the cruise. But if we get bumped it’s no big deal. We’ll just fly out to our destination. Thanks for the insight. It was very helpful.
@@jackmortimer329 "... does not guarantee that you will even have a cabin..."
Where did you get such a wrong idea?
If Royal Caribbean offers you the option for a guaranteed cabin, then there is at least one cabin open.
If there are no cabins available, then you won't be offered the option in the first place.
Great
Kenny caught a stray. 😂🤣😂🤣
Oh my God he killed Kenny!
Very weird and misleading tips. We book our cruises one month or less before the date of departure for best savings. The latest example: I booked the cheapest inside cabin on beautiful MSC Seashore for a 7-day May 5-12 Caribbean cruise for the 2 of us - my wife and I. Booked it on April 16, less than a month before leaving. Paid a total of $810 including all taxes and fees. Received an upgrade to deluxe oceanside balcony on Deck 15 without asking for it. And we never, ever use travel agents because we prefer being in control of our choices and of the prices we pay.
Expedia would not even let you book a cruise without a local agent.
WHAT!!! The WALLS are STEEL and magnetic hooks STICK to them🤣
Yes
Ceilings too!
And the doors.
Not sure why people want to take their kids on a cruise vacation and then have them stay at the "🎉"babysitter" all day.
You have to be privileged af to book two years in advance... or just not from the United States. Most people cant do that for a million reasons bedides the obvious.
Most of us Americans can't do that, either!
Not practical when you’re 72.
Royal Carribean just attracts too many families with kids behaving badly, or should I say, without supervision. We have sidelined RCL for that reason.
Bye Felicia! Have fun in your utopia planet without kids.
We haven't had that problem with children, but then we have taken longer cruises, not in the Carribean.
I haven't seen any tiny terrors, but that is probably because I generally ignore those who aren't affecting me directly.
I have had no problem with the little ones. Love watching them.
We have not experienced a Royal Carribean cruise with a lot of children. We typically cruise RC because they usually do not have a lot of children. If you want to cruise with very limited kids - try Oceania.
Terrible to listen to
Sounds ok to me.
I agree with the travel agent (mei travel) already emailed us and saved us over $900 already 100% worth it
One thing that bothers me about video cruise information is that they only say what they want you to know, why doesn't this video say the real popular reason why a person should book a cruise 2 years in advance? especially for newbies because THEY DON'T KNOW!!! The idea is to educate people that have never cruised before so that they can be animated to cruise, there are so many people that don't cruise and don't care about cruising and don't know about cruising because they think it's expensive and only for people that are well off, how about telling people that CRUISES CAN BE LAYAWAYED OR FINANCED WITH A REASONABLE DOWN PAYMENT!!! Depending on the price of the cruise of course, and that they can pay it off as they go and have an entire year to pay off their cruise, in some cases they have more time to pay it off, I swear people will learn more from comments than the video itself
If you gotta pay off a vacation over time, you shouldn’t take a vacation. But that’s my opinion
@Joemondaking that's not the point, the point is, this helps people that can't afford to pay a vacation instantly, everyone has the right to a vacation but not everyone can pay one in an instant, layawaying a vacation gives people a chance to take one even when they can't afford to pay one all at once, the way cruises work, is that they give you a chance to pay one off if you plan for one way in advance, of course they are not going to allow you to take a cruise until you pay it off, but when you plan for one 2 years in advance, you have time to pay it off, and then you'd be able to take it cause its paid off, by your comment, I don't think you understood how cruising works, if you were thinking that they let you take the cruise while you are paying for it? Lol, no it doesn't work that way, you a get a chance to pay it off first, then you enjoy it
@@MoonLight-zk3gm I do understand. I don’t understand people like you though.
@Joemondaking ok now your comment is becoming somewhat senseless, and I have no clue where your getting at, I was very thorough about explaining the lack of info the video gives on cruises and you misunderstanding about the way cruise vacations work, apparently you didnt understand because if you did you would not have brought up an irrelevant comment based on opinions, my comment is about volunteering factual and important information that was not given on this video regarding cruises, so I don't know what is so hard about understanding something so simple that I explained with articulation, are you trolling? Cause if you are, I have no time for that senseless behavior ok?
@@Joemondakingoh Mr fancy pants rich McGee over here