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If you can cruise during these times, there are some truly low prices to enjoy. The Key is an optional add-on you can purchase to get VIP benefits, including an early check-in time. Third party shore excursions can offer more personalized tours at a lower price. The majority of cruises leave port at 4 or 5:00 pm. The concept is simple: pay a few bucks and skip the lines. If you're reading this at home, you're still better off booking a cruise now, rather than waiting to book onboard your ship. Royal Caribbean does not charge for its shows, nor does it charge for advanced reservations. Once you're cleared to board, you will follow a gangway (elevated ramps) up to the ship. Keep in mind that other factors may effect your boarding time. Just know that with some of the tips above you will still be able to get on the ship before most of the other passengers. Royal Caribbean offers all guests the option to bring their own luggage (rather than have their luggage delivered to the terminal) and leave the ship anytime once customs officials clear the ship. When we say "early", we mean booking your cruise 12, 18 or even 24 months before the sail date. In addition, these roll calls are helpful because someone might spot a change or announcement before you, which can greatly benefit you by getting ahead of the pack. Taking the time to purchase anything onboard does not take very much time, but every little bit helps, and some purchases on the first day of the cruise can require waiting in a line, such as drink packages. You can view all the shore excursions available by logging into Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner and browsing the shore excursions by port. The earliest that guests can board a cruise is between 4-5 hours before the ship is scheduled to sail away. That means if a couple buys The Key for a 7 day cruise it will cost at least $350. Priority line at ship attractions and water slides during regular hours. Royal Caribbean warns there could be a delay in beginning the check-in procedure if you're late, but you will still be able to get to the cruise. And it may seem way out of your budget. There is no way to know in absolute terms what your upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise will or will not offer, but Royal Caribbean insiders will consult past Cruise Compass' to see what was available on those similar sailings to get an idea of what to expect. There are also two different times to consider: what time can you board your ship and what time can you arrive at the port to check-in. If you buy heavy duty magnets with hooks, you can use these magnets to store certain items. Arrive early. I'm not sure RCL has started that. Once onboard, cancellations must be made at least 4 hours prior to show time. The biggest key is being prepared and knowing when you should or shouldnt pay extra to get on board faster. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! Corkscrews will be provided for guests to enjoy their drinks in their stateroom. 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. Royal Caribbean typically allows cruisers to choose arrival times in thirty-minute blocks as shown in the image below. You simply keep your luggage in your room (instead of placing it in the hallway on the last evening of the cruise) and then when the ship is cleared by Customs agents, you take your own luggage and disembark the ship. 2. As for Royal Caribbean opening up additional earlier times, it's not usually the case. Ships embarking on cruises from Amsterdam are docked in one of two places: Felison Terminal, where smaller ships dock, or the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam , where a 10-minute walk will take you to a popular station. However, I highly recommend traveling with a passport. Also, since your cruise will likely take you to foreign countries, its crucial to have a passport with you. The "3-1-1" rule is ubiquitous in airports. Unfortunately, there's no wifi coverage in Labadee. If you subscribe to the theory that time is money, then you definitely want to arrive to your embarkation port early. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Usually, guests who book The Key are allowed to check-in with the first group (an exact time will be emailed later). . Here are 7 proven ways to board your cruise ship faster on embarkation day. In the weeks leading up to your cruise, be sure to complete online check-in. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), also known in short as Norwegian, is an American cruise line founded in 1966, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Miami. The NextCruise office offers incentives to book another cruise while you're still onboard. Test out the TV, the toilet and the lights; check for bed bugs; sanitize anything you need to. Search Now The key is to understand what the ship you're booking has and doesn't have so there's no disappointment later. Just turn airplane mode once you get onboard the ship. You can change in a public restroom, and towels are available at the pool area to use. Yes, a suite is more expensive. For your return home, you have the ability to select the flight that best suits your schedule. Many cruise lines allow you to pay a little extra for priority access to the ship. Oasis Class ships offer outside dining is also available onCentral Park and Boardwalk neighborhoods. 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. Several years ago, I decided to start this blog to document our family trips. A Royal Loft Suite on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. . This is a 9 night cruise and price per night is noted below for each cabin type. There's no way to know that's happened without checking manually. Here are my tips for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner. When I tried on my Android / Pixel 6 Pro, I had to hit the button a bunch of times to take a picture . View All Cruises Re: Changing one guest name - Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean does not post or publish Cruise Compasses for upcoming sailings in advance. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. Be sure to check it. If guests wish to enjoy their wine or champagne in our dining or bar venues, there will be a corkage fee applied. If you do not complete Check-in 3 days prior, you will be required to complete this process at the pier at leasttwohoursprior to the published sailing time. 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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. 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. Previously, Royal Caribbean permitted a maximum of two 750-milliliter bottles per room. Looking for the Best Cruise Deals? What time to arrive at the port. 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. When you make purchases onboard your cruise, at the end of the cruise you get a final bill with all of the charges tallied up. There's an impressive amount of discounts and benefits included in Royal Caribbean's loyalty program that you should absolutely know about in advance. Did you know that Johnny Rockets is complimentary for breakfast on Oasis Class ships? 2023 Mom's Plan-it Vacation Blog - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP, Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbeans Junior Suites, Free Printable Cruise Packing List (with Tips), Guide to Royal Caribbean Ship Classes (2023), Easy Guide to Royal Caribbean Online Check In. If you are on a Radiance or Quantum Class ship, be sure to enjoy your meals outside while at the Windjammer. Guests can use onboard credit towards purchasing Royal Caribbean'sshore excursions if they book onboard. The online check-in process is super simple and consists of filling out personal information among other tasks. Read more: 7 reasons you should splurge for a suite on a cruise. Things like hats, coverups, important paperwork and more would be ideal. There are a few tricks to scoring early arrival times if you are eager to be one of the first passengers on the ship. Prior to sailing, guests may change or cancel their show reservations online up to 4 days prior to their cruise start date. Booking a suite has more advantages than you may think. Questions are often worded like, "How do I get a deal? If you want to try Sky Pad, FlowRider, rock climbing wall or zipline, take advantage of lower waits on the first day of the cruise. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. . On all ships, check for entertainment reservations once onboard the ship via the Royal Caribbean app. All Oasis-class ships offer this option, but many guests are unaware that breakfast is served here, nor that it is included with your cruise fare (Johnny Rockets has a cover charge for lunch and dinner). When you make a reservation for a restaurant onboard, let your server know the adults have dining packages, but kids don't and you will get a better price than if you bought the dining package for everyone. 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. Want to know one of the best tips for avoiding the worst cruise ship cabins? Depending on your disembarkation time and port, the time needed to arrive at the airport will vary. Take advantage of the opportunity to get tickets and not be stuck in a line waiting to enter the theater or worse, miss out on the show completely. Each ship is packed with adventures . The cruise line can have an impact as some lines have different embarkation . Want to get an idea of what entertainment, activities and things to do (along with times) will be offered on your cruise? The first time I booked a suite was on Celebrity Silhouette. . If someone cancels their cruise, their check-in time goes back into the system for someone else to grab. Commonly it is expected to tip somewhere around $1-$2 per bag. 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. If you have a cruise booked with Royal Caribbean, you can typically check-in around 45 days before your sail date. *Please see all applicable Terms & Conditions for Promotions. Keep in mind that travel agents are paid by Royal Caribbean, so there is no additional cost to you to use their services. In many cases, Royal Caribbean promises a discount on select pre-cruise purchases compared to the price onboard. Our next RCL isn't until December 2016. We make sure to pack several items in our backpack, which I will include below: Youll notice that many of the items listed above are needed because our kids swim on embarkation day. If you dont have extra room in the budget, the first point in this article will help the most. These programs often offer other perks as well that are usually only reserved for suite passengers. Welcome aboard! Be sure to look up all your benefits, and ensure you use the most lucrative Crown and Anchor Society perks during your sailing so you can reap the best rewards! Many guests are curious how early they can board a Royal Caribbean ship on embarkation day, so here is a guide for what to expect. At 11:00, crew members instructed all of the suite guests to form a line. 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). Book entertainment and dining as soon as possible. Moreover, the onboard credit is stackable with other discounts Royal Caribbean is offering at the time! By completing online check-in early, you will have the best choice of check-in times. Entertainment is typically included in your cruise fare but on the largest ships, you are required to make reservations. 12. long pause. The open house is when you can go to meet the staff, register your kids, and ask any questions. So, anyone in the wrong line was asked to move. This was a really fast process that took less than five minutes. Each cruise line has their own list of prohibited items, so just make sure you follow those instructions and avoid being pulled to the side by security at the cruise terminal. Unvaccinated travellers age 5 and For Bahamian and Caribbean cruises, check-in registration begins at 11:00 am and embarkation begins at 1:00 pm. Any money saved is always welcome! 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. If you have an adult in your room that does not drink (much) alcohol, you can get around this rule by calling Royal Caribbean and requesting that person get the Royal Refreshment package. Depending on the arrival time you chose during online check-in, you can show up at the cruise terminal as early as 10:00 am for your cruise vacation. The actual times, however, will vary by sailing. The last day of your cruise is never fun, and regardless of how many times you cruise, it never gets any less depressing. Royal Caribbean cruises that depart from the United States will often open the cruise terminal for check-in sometime between 9am and 10am. This fish feature is prominently present on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools' Day postcards. Rope dropping is also a great strategy for the sort of activities that quickly generate a line. (Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas). Cayman Islands: Who's Who & Business Guide. How early can I board my Royal Caribbean cruise? #4 Check into your cruise as soon as you can Royal Caribbean now enforces its check-in times, so be sure to check-in for your cruise as soon as check-in opens. Set . I dont think I need to mention how this would slow down your boarding process, but its a key element to remember when cruising. Did you know Royal Caribbean offers extra onboard credit if you own at least a certain amount of Royal Caribbean Group stock? This is basically a forum for discussing your exact sailing with other people booked on it too. Check-in opens up 45 days before your cruise begins. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? In addition to being able to use your drink package benefits nearly anywhere onboard your ship, Royal Caribbean also extends the benefit to Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas and Labadee in Haiti. Bermuda supreme court legalised same-sex marriage last year. You will not have to start over! We completed our Muster Drill requirements immediately after boarding. Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. This was super fast and easy as the Muster Stations were all clearly labeled and close to where we walked onto the ship. It can feel like torture if you have to wait a long time to board your ship. {{alert.title}} {{notification.title}} {{notification . We fly in early enough to explore the port city if we want to prior to embarkation day. (This post may contain affiliate links. Some days it's sunny, some days it's stormy, some days it's just . The boarding process for the 1/8 Adventure of the Seas cruise to the S. Caribbean was horrible. This is not only a great opportunity for your kids to become familiar with the kids club, but also save time later so all you have to do when the club opens up is drop them off and be done. 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. Having an extra day or two provides a buffer to account for travel delays. While you may want to save the added expense,regular medical insurance will not usually cover medical services onboard or in port. Our $2,179.98 cruise has an insurance cost of $138 if bought through Royal Caribbean. 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! Sounds great, right? One of my favorite benefits was having access to an amazing restaurant that was reserved for suite guests only. NATURI A sound installation and performance for young audiences from 18 months up to physical or psychomotor skills of 4 years!. All sent to your inbox. Laundry costs extra, but it may save you money compared to paying to check an extra bag at the airport. If you ask seasoned travelers how they get around these obstacles, the answer is often to give yourself more time. I pack my kids undergarments for them to put on after they swim. One of the best parts? Plus, the agents at the port wont have to take the extra time to verify your birth certificate. And from there the perks just kept coming. About a week before the cruise, the Suite Concierge will email suite guests with an introduction and outline basic suite policies, including a flexible arrival policy, where suite guests can arrive one hour before or after their check-in time. You can actually get hundreds of dollars of onboard credit by simply booking onboard, but the exact amount depends on how long a sailing you book and in which stateroom category. This includes accepting the cruise contract, answering the health questions, and choosing your boarding time. The price of the cruise is the same whether you book at home or onboard. This makes it easy to undress them poolside, and they can hop right in. 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. 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. For some folks, that may sound like lunacy to plan a vacation up to two years in advance, but the fact of the matter is employing this strategy is the key to getting a really great price. I've been seeing some comments about show reservations being sold out by the time people boarded, that is the main reason why I was wondering if Royal Caribbean is really that strict or if it's likely they might let us on earlier. While showing up early can be a problem, coming in later is not as much of a concern. The cost is $129 for a 3-5 day cruise and $199 for a 6-9 day cruise with higher rates for longer voyages. What you want to do is look at what the ship you're considering has to do onboard, and ensure it has the most important options that you want to experience. However, once you finally arrive at the port and board the ship, all your worries are washed away. You start getting benefits after just one cruise, and you never lose your status. Royal Caribbean puts its itineraries on sale as much as two years in advance of the sailing, and while that may be too far in advance for many to plan vacations, the earlier you can book the cruise, the better for that bottom line price. Using a travel agent simplifies this entire process. , Cruising in 2023 is mostly back to normal following the pandemic-induced changes implemented across the industry in. Youll also find that the water slides dont have long lines at this time on embarkation day. 90% refund of cruise credits if you Cancel for Any Reason. Instead of arriving to your departure city on the day of your cruise, get in early! Employees come over to make you show that you are in a suite. Possible pranks include attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed. So which food is included and which cost extra? You'll want to include all of your valuables, medications, and documentation. You'll want to do this as early as you can in order to get an early check-in time and avoid wasting time in the cruise terminal. The same is true for beer . The price for The Key varies by sailing, but prices start at $25 per guest for each day of the cruise. The Online Check-in Process is a 4 step process and Royal Caribbean will walk you through it step by step. If you are concerned about the drink package price dropping, take solace in the fact you can always cancel and rebook with no penalty! [Subscribe fo. In the weeks leading up to your cruise, be sure to complete online check-in. Each cruiser scanned his/her SetSail Pass (from the Royal Caribbean app) and was permitted to board the ship. Posted January 23, 2012. Ideally, you'll book a cruise at NextCruise while on a sailing when struck with the inspiration to book another cruise. 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. I pack sunscreen to apply before swimming, and we carry on other essentials that we need before dinner. 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 . Through our past experiences, on many different lines, we have boarded closer to 11:00. If you'd like to arrive at that time, go right ahead! Here is a list of a few prohibited things Royal Caribbean has on their website: If you try to bring any of these things onto your cruise ship you will not only get the items confiscated, you could also be in some trouble with the law. In our experience, most guests see the times for an activity and begin arrivingafterthe scheduled start time. A. Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. 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. Its not a lengthy process but should you need to stop along the way to gather a piece of information, do not worry. This frees up storage space in your closets and drawers for other things. DON'T assume your cabin is pristine and in working order, if you tend to worry about such things. Your vacation time is limited, so do not waste it waiting to buy a drink package. This didnt take long at all, and our whole group was onboard the ship shortly after 11:00. I wrote about this in the post on 19 things you should do on embarkation day. If your stateroom shower is occupied by a family member, you could go to the gym and shower there instead. (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean) You are staying in a suite. Even if you have an international cell phone plan, cruise ship cellular coverage is rarely included. But if you're at home, it's still a good idea to book as early as you can to lock in the lowest price. In many ports, porters have a special line for Customs that allows you to get through it all faster. Depending on the length of your sailing, you can get up to $250 onboard credit. 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. For groups traveling with more than two people per room, however, a new policy could allow groups to bring . We also use the hairbrush for the kids hair after swimming. Royal Caribbean is quite understanding about schedules, and if you need to get off the ship sooner, they are usually very accommodating. If you want a ship with a Broadway show, book Oasis or Harmony of the Seas, but skip Wonder of the Seas. You're probably wondering what to expect on the day you board the ship. I am a stay-at-home mom with an amazing husband and two little girls who keep me busy with gymnastics, soccer, and swimming. For lunch and dinner, you can find a rotating set of options that include pasta, stir-fry, crepes and more. It'll guide you to aim and take the picture. Some families prefer to arrive in the afternoon, so they dont have to navigate crowds at the terminal. (He was right!) You can even start using your drink packages right away to help you get into vacation mode even faster! Not only will buying your drink packages online save you money, it will also save you time because typically there can be lines to purchase the drink packages onboard the ship. Can anyone who has recently been on the Serenade rec. Before you book a room, look at the ship's deck plans and look what is above and below your stateroom. If you want to find the best prices for the spa on your cruise, consider booking things on port days, or early in the morning or late at night for the best prices. But if you opt to drag your suitcases all through the terminal and onto the ship youre just slowing down the entire process. That being said, my sister had a junior suite AND an oceanview room booked. For obvious reasons the early times are taken first. And the earlier check-in time you have, the sooner you get to get onboard the ship and start vacation. Heres what The Key is (and why some cruisers like it), Royal Caribbean testing expedited boarding, Video: Mistakes to avoid on the first day of your cruise, What to expect on embarkation day on a Royal Caribbean cruise, The best spot for sailaway on every Royal Caribbean cruise ship.