This is a 9 night cruise and price per night is noted below for each cabin type. It has grown into a website full of information on family vacation tips, kid friendly activities, homeschooling organization hacks, and so much more! Any money saved is always welcome! 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. Read more: 7 reasons you should splurge for a suite on a cruise. Several years ago, I decided to start this blog to document our family trips. This provides the ability to break up the total cost of the cruise. I'm Shari. You don't plan to take advantage of its . Its important to note that these times that you choose during online check-in are only port arrival times. 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. If you do not complete check-in online, you will be required to complete this process at the pier at least two hours prior to the published sailing time. Remington Premier Copper 12 Gauge 3 Inch 1550 FPS 1 Ounce . Knowing this, we decided to reserve a shuttle service to pick us up at our Miami hotel at 9:30 on embarkation day. Did you know that Johnny Rockets is complimentary for breakfast on Oasis Class ships? Check out Intelligent Cruiser here for a better cruise vacation. The person didnt even ask for the ship name or location and gave monosyllabic responses. Corkscrews will be provided for guests to enjoy their drinks in their stateroom. In general, Royal Caribbean's cruise fares are priced the least the further out you go, and as the sail date approaches, prices start to creep up as the supply of staterooms on a sailing begin to get booked up. The porter told us our luggage should be in our cabin fairly early since we were some of the first to arrive at the ship. In our experience, most guests see the times for an activity and begin arrivingafterthe scheduled start time. For your return home, you have the ability to select the flight that best suits your schedule. This large room consisted of plenty of seating options, refreshments, and restrooms. But how early can you board the cruise ship? From a bag getting lost in transit to flight cancellations, its always better to be protected than to not have insurance when you need it most. Jon got hooked on cruising after his first cruise on his honeymoon, and today he is always looking for cruise deals and reading information about the cruise industry. Theirservices are complimentary, although a tip is expected for their trouble. Oasis Class ships offer outside dining is also available onCentral Park and Boardwalk neighborhoods. Photo Credit: NAN728 / Shutterstock. This includes your passport, boarding pass, and any other necessary paperwork. We didnt even have to get off the couch. Instead of arriving to your departure city on the day of your cruise, get in early! If you subscribe to the theory that time is money, then you definitely want to arrive to your embarkation port early. Just turn airplane mode once you get onboard the ship. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? While you can book shore excursions onboard your ship, the lines at the shore excursion desk can often be quite long and doing your research from home gives you plenty of time to compare different options and learn what each port offers. Norwegians priority access program includes: Other cruise lines have some sort of priority-access program as well. Royal Caribbean does not post or publish Cruise Compasses for upcoming sailings in advance. Additionally, a cruise vacation, like any other type of travel, poses a risk for trip interruption, delays, and other unexpected issues. While this isnt necessarily the time in which you will board the ship, it is a good indicator of when you will be allowed to embark. This buffet wasnt crowded at all during these early hours, and it offered a large variety of food for our big travel group. Your vacation time is limited, so do not waste it waiting to buy a drink package. Booking a suite has more advantages than you may think. This was a huge relief from the typical check-in desk with long check-in lines we have experienced in the past. I see some people skip this step because they want to save a few bucks on tipping. 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 . Its also important to note that theres no best time to board the Royal Caribbean ship. Royal Caribbean may send you an email about boarding times, but those are mostly suggestions and not enforced at all. Over the course of a 7-night cruise, those savings add up quickly! In most cases, you should be able to save at least $10 per person compared to dinner (if not more). So, make sure you keep everything within reach and enjoy a smooth boarding process. Unsubscribe whenever you want. Third party shore excursions can offer more personalized tours at a lower price. While I do enjoy sailing on many different cruise lines and seeing how they compare, sticking with one line can get you those loyalty perks. All rights reserved. Read more: 10 biggest tipping mistakes cruisers make. The FCC . Unfortunately, there's no wifi coverage in Labadee. 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. 2) Take a security photo. A second way to grab an early port arrival time is by purchasing The Key. Find answers to your questions about all the requirements to board a Royal Caribbean Cruise. They offer guests the option to drink as much as they want on their cruise for a fixed price. Share them in our comments on this post. This was super fast and easy as the Muster Stations were all clearly labeled and close to where we walked onto the ship. NATURI - A Sound Installation & Performance. My kids wear their bathing suits onto the ship underneath their clothes. Generally speaking, the best price for a Royal Caribbean cruise can be found when booked many months in advance. Having an extra day or two provides a buffer to account for travel delays. For just a few dollars, you can make the embarkation and disembarkation process significantly easier. An inside cabin will cost $76 per night, an ocean view cabin will cost $101 per night, a balcony cabin will cost $134 per night, and a . But it wasn't a nightmare either. Members also get invitations to special events, like behind-the-scenes tours of the ship. The exact benefits you get depend on which tier of Crown and Anchor Society you belong to. (He was right!) The best reason to use an agent is to save you time, because they are the ones sitting on hold when calling Royal Caribbean. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Entertainment is typically included in your cruise fare but on the largest ships, you are required to make reservations. Those who arrive early will not be able to begin boarding, and those who arrive late will . I didnt even have a chance to sit down in the Port Everglades terminal before I was welcomed onto the ship. Today, we, While I absolutely love cruising and traveling, we all know that sometimes things dont go exactly as we planned., We all make mistakes, including when on a cruise ship. Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. . The plan offered is called the Royal Caribbean Travel Protection Program, and it provides the following coverage: $25k Emergency Travel Medical Insurance. For Bahamian and Caribbean cruises, check-in registration begins at 11:00 am and embarkation begins at 1:00 pm. The benefits wont always be the same, and you have to fill out a form and wait for approval. So the best way to learn about what is offered on your cruise is to check out a past Cruise Compass. Follow along on this incredible voyage! First, we recommend choosing your port arrival time before completing anything else during online check in. If you are sailing on an Oasis or Quantum Class ship, you can pre-book shows in advance, such as the Broadway musicals or ice shows. Naturally everyone thinks of the main dining room for dinner, but did you know it is often open forlunch (and breakfast) too? 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. Call (225) 687-7590 or what can i bring on a cruise royal caribbean today! Royal Caribbean asks its guests to arrive within their check-in window to avoid crowding in the terminal. 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. 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. Those who arrive early will not be able to begin boarding, and those who arrive late will need to wait until we are able to work them into another group. We like to carry a backpack onboard the ship on embarkation day. The reason is Royal Caribbean cruise fares are very erratic, and can change at a moment's notice. Related: Photography on Cruise Ships: What to Expect. On all ships, check for entertainment reservations once onboard the ship via the Royal Caribbean app. In short, to save time and money, use a good travel agent. 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 you're in a suite, you don't need to pay extra for this package too. Try to get on the ship as soon as you can (in other words, get inline at the port early or get to the airport to the Royal Caribbean desk early to get the first transfer to the pier). Our $2,179.98 cruise has an insurance cost of $138 if bought through Royal Caribbean. This includes accepting the cruise contract, answering the health questions, and choosing your boarding time. If not, just leave blank.