So, anyone in the wrong line was asked to move. Porters are available to assist with your luggage. When I tried to check in for my May 2022 cruise, this step was the only glitchy part of the whole process. In that case, keep in mind the luggage tags you will be provided with can be swapped out at Guest Services for a luggage tag with an earlier disembarkation time. By completing online check-in early, you will have the best choice of check-in times. Suite guests still need to get a check-in time for their sailing, butusuallythey will be give more flexibility in their times. Did you know that Johnny Rockets is complimentary for breakfast on Oasis Class ships? If you're in a suite, you don't need to pay extra for this package too. The price will be different depending on which port youre sailing from $59.95 in Miami to $129.95 in Seattle. Bermuda supreme court legalised same-sex marriage last year. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. Any money saved is always welcome! The helipad onis located on the bow (front)of the ship and during sailaway, Royal Caribbean permits guests access to the helipad. Perhaps one of the most common questions we receive on Royal Caribbean Blog is about how to save money and get the best possible price for a Royal Caribbean cruise. Each stateroom may bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne, as long as one guest is of legal drinking age. If that statement does not make a whole lot of sense yet, check out the five steps we outlined in this post to demonstrate why being early will help you have a great cruise. We enjoy being on the ship early to take advantage of as much time on board as possible. Over the course of a 7-night cruise, those savings add up quickly! We arrived on time (1pm) and waited over three hours to board. Whether the first day or the last day of your cruise, be sure to grab a porter to make things easier on yourself. Royal Caribbean offers a lot of shore excursions in every port and on top of that, you can also consider shore excursions through third party groups to further expand your options. You will not have to start over! However, if you show up just 10-15 minutes before these events, you will likely find few, if any, other guests waiting and first shot at even the most popular activities. However, I highly recommend traveling with a passport. Third party shore excursions can offer more personalized tours at a lower price. This was a really fast process that took less than five minutes. When you get the receipt to sign, look for the line item that indicates if an automatic 18% gratuity is already included. Complimentary Canaps (a French hors doeuvre) on second day. Posted January 23, 2012. $50k Emergency Medical Evacuation Insurance. Tasks such as repricing, making special requests, dealing with weather events and more are why I use a travel agent every single I book a cruise. In the morning, there is an omelet station available. But given that you must make many decisions during the booking process, it can pay to use a seasoned travel agent who specializes in cruises to help you arrange things. Exclusive access to time slots for rock climbing, FlowRider etc. Possible pranks include attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed. Two brothers started Cruise Fever in 2011 when they decided they couldn't stop cruising so they might as well write about it. Most cruise terminals enforce the boarding times, but occasionally you find situations where a particular pier agent doesn't pay attention to the check-in time or say anything about it. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? The result is far fewer guests in the pools, hot tubs and water slides than at any other time on your cruise. However, once you finally arrive at the port and board the ship, all your worries are washed away. The price of the September 13, 2024 cruise on the Serenade of the Seas ranges from $690 for an inside cabin to $1,963 for a suite. Having an extra day or two provides a buffer to account for travel delays. Please plan your arrival accordingly to avoid the possibility of not being permitted to sail. On sea days, the main dining room is open for lunch and it serves up a different menu of options than what is offered during dinner. The simplest and easiest way to get on the ship faster is taking care of the check-in process early. All sent to your inbox. Those who arrive early will not be able to begin boarding, and those who arrive late will . Video: Royal Caribbean food secrets Discounts, tips and more! I'm Shari. If you wait weeks or months to book a cruise onboard, the price of the cruise may increase and negate any savings you'd receive from the extra onboard credit. Employees come over to make you show that you are in a suite. This way youre paying about half the price of a week-long cruise and you can test the waters. Laundry costs extra, but it may save you money compared to paying to check an extra bag at the airport. I see some people skip this step because they want to save a few bucks on tipping. No one wants to think worst case scenario, but you're probably better off buying a travel insurance plan for your cruise than risking not having it. Be sure to pack these items in your carry-on luggage, and not your checked luggage. The drink packages have become quite popular with guests, but Royal Caribbean rewards guests that purchase their drink package early with a discount. This is the perfect time to make dining changes/requests, book activities and specialty restaurants, secure shore excursions, etc. Previously, Royal Caribbean permitted a maximum of two 750-milliliter bottles per room. When you purchase anything before your cruise via the Cruise Planner site, you will be required to pay for it at the time of purchase. Downloading the app before you get on your ship means you'll be able to easily and quickly download it and set it up before you step aboard. And the price you paid for the cruise is the same whether you get onboard at 11am or 2pm, so may as well get the most time possible. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Royal Caribbean Blog. You really do not want to bethat personin the airport losing their mind because the latest delay means the entire vacation is in jeopardy. 2011-2023, Cruise Fever . One of the Royal Caribbean suite perks is that suite guests are permitted to enter the terminal one hour before their official port arrival time. How to Complete Check-In. Then, we walked right into the suite waiting area. These programs often offer other perks as well that are usually only reserved for suite passengers. For obvious reasons the early times are taken first. A Royal Caribbean cruise is hands down my favorite type of vacation, and with so many years of going cruising, I have come across a lot of tricks and tips that really enhance my cruise. Royal Caribbean International allows cruisers to choose a port arrival time during online check-in. Once you board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, youll want to take care of a few chores. Here is a list of several cruise lines that offer priority boarding when you gain loyalty status and what it takes to get there: Most of the time if you have priority boarding you will also have priority disembarkation included as well. All Guests must board the ship no later than 4:00 pm. Powered by Cruiseline.com. Guests can choose boarding times in the afternoon or earlier times of 10:30 or 11:00. Called RCL this morning and got a weird / rude response when asking about what time I can board the ship. $250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights, $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 to 13 nights, $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less. Some families prefer to arrive in the afternoon, so they dont have to navigate crowds at the terminal. If you dont want to spend all morning waiting in lines, or if you just wish you could speed things up, this post is for you. If not, just leave blank, How being early is the secret to the best Royal Caribbean cruise, from start to finish, purchase the drink package of your choice online, 5 Royal Caribbean things you had no idea existed. It's important to note that these times that you choose during online check-in are only port arrival times. Related: Photography on Cruise Ships: What to Expect. Be the first to write a review! The total cost of my cruise for two guests, including gratuities, taxes, and fees, was $1656. Modified Date: Jan 6, 2023. In addition to the drink package, a wifi package also works while at CocoCay. The same is true for beer . And from there the perks just kept coming. If you'd like to arrive at that time, go right ahead! Before you book a room, look at the ship's deck plans and look what is above and below your stateroom. We have spent years sharing tips, secrets and strategies on this blog about taking a better and more fun Royal Caribbean cruise, and we discovered there is one common thread among so many of our best tips: being early. Often this comes down to the ports of call being visited by the cruise line. Other families, like mine, like to get the process started as soon as possible. All E-Docs will be available up to 21 days prior to departure, provided full payment has been received and Online Check-In has been completed. Each excursion will list the price, details of the activity and any physical or age restrictions. As an added bonus, by arriving to your embarkation port at least a day early, that means you get to start your vacation sooner! It wasn't nearly as easy as usual. If you are flying to your cruise port, be sure to fly in at least one day before the cruise is scheduled to depart to protect against a travel delay. However, the earlier your arrival time, the sooner you are usually able to embark on the ship. First, if you miss The Key check-in window, you have to fall back to whatever time you had before. (This post may contain affiliate links. Our family chose to eat lunch at Windjammer Marketplace after boarding. If you want to have a hassle-free boarding process, its important to stay organized and keep all your important documents organized and easily accessible. The difference is booking onboard will get you extra onboard credit and reduced deposit. So, how do you secure an early arrival time so that you can board the ship as soon as possible? There arediscounts, vouchers, and even freebies anyone can take advantage of once onboard. Guests may be able to check in earlier but will usually not be able to embark until this time. A passenger can't sail from one U.S. port and get off at another U.S. port (even for the day) without the trip including a foreign port of call in the itinerary. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Due to government regulations requiring cruise lines to submit final departure . These are not the times you actually board the ship. The embarkation process is stressful enough without adding in the guy behind you asking you to hurry things up in the most colorful of ways. In the weeks leading up to your cruise, be sure to complete online check-in. A Royal Caribbean employee came over to our large group and checked in each party using her tablet. When I tried on my Android / Pixel 6 Pro, I had to hit the button a bunch of times to take a picture . The first time I booked a suite was on Celebrity Silhouette. This was super fast and easy as the Muster Stations were all clearly labeled and close to where we walked onto the ship. By having a reservation, you will be seated faster. Commonly it is expected to tip somewhere around $1-$2 per bag. Because so many guests are just getting onboard and acclimated to the new ship, many guests are unaware of where the headline attractions are or that they are open on embarkation day. But did you know if you wait to book your drink package onboard the ship you will be overpaying for it? Like what you see? You start getting benefits after just one cruise, and you never lose your status. You can view all the shore excursions available by logging into Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner and browsing the shore excursions by port. 19 things you should do on embarkation day, 7 reasons you should splurge for a suite on a cruise, loyalty programs on 8 different cruise lines, 10 biggest tipping mistakes cruisers make, 13 Biggest Mistakes Made by Carnival Cruise Passengers [Carnival Tips], Royal Caribbean Updates Perks in Loyalty Program, Carnival to Send Newly Upgraded Ship on 14-Day Transatlantic Cruise, 7 Reasons You Should Never Fly on Cruise Day, 19 Things You Should Do on Cruise Embarkation Day in 2023, Ultimate List of Shuttles From Orlando Airport (MCO) to Port Canaveral, Best Galveston Cruise Parking Tips, Rates & Locations [Read Before Cruise], Carnival Bringing a Fourth Cruise Ship to Galveston, Texas, Carry-on bag drop off in the main dining room. This didnt take long at all, and our whole group was onboard the ship shortly after 11:00. Follow along on this incredible voyage! Did you know Royal Caribbean offers extra onboard credit if you own at least a certain amount of Royal Caribbean Group stock? Comment below to share your tips with us! Our rooms then opened up at around 1:00 that afternoon. For a full list of items that my family and I pack on a cruise vacation, you can check out my Cruise Packing List article. It'll guide you to aim and take the picture. Youll also find a free printable cruise packing list! Keep in mind the differences between Royal Caribbean's shore excursions and third party shore excursions. By going on embarkation day, not only will you likely have a short wait but you may be able to re-ride a number of times! Most people go on vacation based around their school or work schedules. The majority of cruises leave port at 4 or 5:00 pm. Sure, you can book a Royal Caribbean cruise on your own, directly through the line's website. Like what you see? I wrote about this in the post on 19 things you should do on embarkation day. For everyone's sanity, this rule does not apply to cruise ships. That's my quick take on the new boarding process for Adventure of the Seas -- the first Royal Caribbean ship to restart operations in North America.. From the moment I began the process on Saturday in Nassau, Bahamas, in advance of the vessel's first sailing in 15 months to the time I stepped into my cabin, almost exactly one . Not only can a porter help take a load off of you, they can greatly assist with disembarkation and getting you through the terminal faster. Another tip for securing an early arrival time is to book a suite. The right slugs can turn a 12 gauge shotgun into a. So if you have an early flight and can carry all your bags, then you can be among the first to get off the ship. . And in many cases, the port you are departing from has its own cultural and historical attractions that you can explore. On my most recent cruise on Oasis of the Seas, my family and I had junior suites booked with a 10:30 am port arrival time. Here are some of the benefits included with this program: Carnival Cruise Line: Faster to the Fun (FTTF). To be honest, your embarkation day usually starts . By the way, there are still delays in the passport renewal process. I dont think I need to mention how this would slow down your boarding process, but its a key element to remember when cruising. Lets look at what some of these early-access programs offer. By pre-purchasing certain items, you can pay off parts of the cruise months or years in advance, allowing you to reduce the cruise bill at the conclusion of your cruise. The biggest key is being prepared and knowing when you should or shouldnt pay extra to get on board faster. Easier said than done, but you probably won't need all the clothes, shoes, and outfits you think you might need on a Royal Caribbean cruise. A number of factors affect when you can embark a cruise ship. Booked my cruise early. Booking a suite has more advantages than you may think. The earliest that guests can board a cruise is between 4-5 hours before the ship is scheduled to sail away. Johnny Rockets tends to be not very crowded for breakfast, because many guests are unaware of this option, and it also has a large seating capacity (indoor and outdoor seating options). Embarkation day is often full of a lot of chaos and stress, especially if you are a first time cruiser. Peak dinner time is between 6:30pm and 8:00pm, so if you plan to dine during these times, reservations are so important. While Royal Caribbean maintains a core experience across all ships, each vessel has its own list of amenities and activities, and even ships within the same Royal Caribbean ship class can vary. So many aspects of the cruise experience, from saving money to saving time, can be greatly improved if you embrace the idea of doing it all early. If you are concerned about the drink package price dropping, take solace in the fact you can always cancel and rebook with no penalty! , Cruising in 2023 is mostly back to normal following the pandemic-induced changes implemented across the industry in. In addition, Royal Caribbean has onboard laundry services you can use to make wearing the same clothes later in the cruise more practical. While showing up early can be a problem, coming in later is not as much of a concern. You can read more about me here- Meet Shari. How early can I board my Royal Caribbean cruise? Your email address will not be published. Since the online check-in time usually opens up at midnight (EST) 45 days before your cruise, youll want to login at this time. Royal Caribbean shore excursions are fully refundable if your ship cannot dock at a scheduled port. One mistake a lot of new cruisers make is to book the cheapest cruise they can find because they assume the ships are more less all the same. We will also provide tips for scoring the earliest boarding time on Royal Caribbean based on our recent experience on the Oasis of the Seas at the cruise terminal in Port of Miami. There are a few tricks to scoring early arrival times if you are eager to be one of the first passengers on the ship. Learn the cruise secrets most people don't know and cruise like a boss. You'll want to include all of your valuables, medications, and documentation. These nifty little secrets can save money, time or both, and so I wanted to whittle them down to thebestRoyal Caribbean tips and tricks in hopes of savingyoutime and money! Once we walked to the entrance of Terminal Building A, we saw two separate lines: a LONG line on the left and a short line on the right. Carnival allows you to check-in 14 days before the cruise date, for Royal Caribbean its 45 days, and for Norwegian Cruise Line you can check in 21 days before a sailing. As for Royal Caribbean opening up additional earlier times, it's not usually the case. We know youre eager to arrive at the cruise port for your Royal Caribbean cruise. By arriving early, you will beat the big crowds that descend upon the cruise terminal later in the day, and you also get the added benefit of having some extra time onboard the ship. While buying stock in any company should be based on solid financial planning, if you happen to own at least 100 shares of Royal Caribbean Group stock, you can qualify for bonus credit to spend on your cruise.