3:08: I love the blog but strongly disagree with "DON'T try and save money by booking the cheapest stateroom available..." For some, booking the cheapest cabin is what one can afford. We've booked very quiet inside cabins on older ships (driving distance to the port!) and happily slept like logs. Because we didn't have a window, or balcony, we spent more time at the pool, on the deck, and other activities away from being cooped up in our cabin and we had a wonderful time doing things.
I learned something that was very valuable on my last cruise. If the check-in opens on a specific day make sure to be up at midnight of that day to start check-in process you will get the earliest check-in spot this way you can start your adventure early 😊
I just did that! I called everyone the next day to remind them to check in. It was 9 hours after I checked in. Everyone got the same check in time as I did 9 hours later.
I booked a cruise with Royal Caribbean through a travel agent. I booked it about eight months ahead of time and as we were getting ready for the cruise, which was in two weeks I noticed on my ticket the entire itinerary was changed to islands we have already been to, and didn't want to go back there. The travel agent forgot to let us know. She acted all surprised because of that we ended up with a cruise we didn't really want. Now we book directly with the cruise line and haven't had a problem since.
If you are a first time cruiser, using a travel agent is recommended. But if you have cruised multiple times and are loyal to one of the big companies then you have the experience to get the best rate and setup your cruise. I have never been able to get a better rate with a travel agent than booking direct.
@@iloveowls90 I have been booking my own trips for years directly with the cruise lines. I am 70 years old and Have been on at least 50 cruises. so recently through a friend I decided to use this travel agent and that is exactly how it went. Never again for me!
Honestly, as a solo traveller (and super excited for my first ever upcoming RC cruise!), I feel a travel agent is really redundant. Maybe Matt gets more mileage out of his bcos he's travelling with a bigger group (family), and gets more packages, but for someone going for a "no-frills" experience, I can't really think of any way I'd benefit lol
book with travel agent 0:41 bigger is not always better 1:35 travel insurance 2:26 do not cheap out on stateroom 3:09 what is new in 2024 3:55 status match with celebrity cruises 4:53 remain flexible 5:45 do nor be surprised by policy changes 6:17
Omg, Celebrity at Coco Cay?! I have been leaving this feedback on every cruise survey for like 3 years. Combining my intense love for Coco Cay with my love for the Celebrity Spa and child-free-ness. I am in HEAVEN!
Last tip is excellent and how we planned our first cruise. Left all personal and work worries at the port, grabbed a drink and sailed away into carribean 😊
Personal experience: should you be injured or sick on a cruise you might be left in a foreign country - or evacuated from the ship to the nearest foreign country, a Passport in possession is a must. (as is travel insurance)
The biggest complaint I'm reading on my cruise FB pages is from people who don't know that the big shows on Oasis (and presumably Icon) require reservations and they are disappointed to be shut out of attending. RC doesn't make it easy to know when reservations open so I start checking at 60 days, 45 days, and 30 days until I see it. The aqua shoe and Broadway style shows should not be missed! Main shows on Quantum Class in 270 also require reservations.
Additional tip: Like Celebrity, Virgin Voyages also does status matching with Royal Caribbean's CAS for Diamond members and above. Definitely explore your options if you want a different experience on smaller ships.
My cruise was closed loop from ft Lauderdale to Caribbean but we also visited Panama and colombiaso passports were required. Important to keep in mind where you are going if they are required!
We booked flights through the cruise line in December. It was only $167 total for me and our daughter to fly from Wichita to Port Canaveral on American Airlines. Those same tickets for the same seats were $844 total. We flew in a day early and didnt have any issues.
I am 9 days till my West Coast Cruise and I'm so EXCITED!!! My last cruise was cancelled and I found out on the flight to it. Luckily I had the insurance (which I get no matter what) and was able to get refunded my "unscheduled" flight back as well as a hotel room for the night.
I wish I could pick a cruise line or ship to sail on, but right now, we can only go with what is sailing out of a certain port at a certain time. I can't wait for retirement.
i booked my cruise without a travel agent. I waited for a friend who I would have roomed with buut she waited too long and the balcony rooms were gone. I had to take a inside state room because that is all that was left. Room has virtual balcony, My cruise is July 8, 2024 till July 8 2024. Going to Greece Italy and Spain On RC Voyager of the seas. I had RC air and sea book my flights. This will be my 5th cruise. I think from now on I will always get inside stateroom. I won"t be spending a lot of time in my cabin. I purchased the drink package. I don't want any extra charges at the end of the trip.
One form of ID that you are missing is the Enhanced Drivers License. Maybe because it's only available in a handful of states, but RCI does accept it as a valid version of a passport for Caribbean sailings. It's a form of ID that some of the border states have available for cruising and crossing the local border.
All the RC "On Shore" excursions are priced at between 2 and 3 times that which you can purchase them "On Shore" -when you get there. RC often "Books Out" certain Excursions at small Ports on the day concerned. If possible, look at the "Excursions" available and then check with providers of the same or similar Excursions at the Port concerned. However, make sure that any "excursion" is likely to get back to the "Port" well before the time at which the ship leaves. If a "Ship Booked" excursion is delayed for any reason, the ship WILL wait for those Passengers. If you are on an "independent" excursion which is delayed - No Chance.
@@jonathanv9587 - ship was fantastic. The Windjammer was the best I’ve had on the last 4 Cruises. However, the main dining was oddly enough hit and miss. I’ve been on Allure twice and Harmony is so much nicer due to it being amplified!
My husband and I just got off symphony of the seas, we had a wonderful time!!!! I booked it on my own though the royal website. It was a very easy experience. After booking I kept checking for price drops, I was able to reprice my criuse a couple times though customer service. Everything was easy and very smooth. I'm wondering what am I missing by not using a travel agent? I felt no need for one, I actually really enjoyed the booking process. We also flew in the same day with NO ISSUES. Just my experience 🤷🏽♀️
I am a travel agent in Ireland and I will admit that if you enjoy the booking side of the holiday and you understand how everything works then it is fine not having a travel agent. However, I would mention that flying on the same day can sometimes be stressful. I have been on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises. My first time, I flew in on the same day and everything went very smoothly, I even had a couple of hours before my check-in time to chill. However, the stress kicked in for my second cruise when my flight was delayed and I was running from place to place in order to collect all of my things, get to my taxi and get to my cruise with minutes to spare before my check-in time ran out. My third cruise, I flew in a couple of days before and was able to explore some local attractions before my cruise which took all the stress away from getting to my cruise as I was a few minutes drive away from the terminal. So I would recommend not to always rely on same day flights as it might not be as calm every time
Check if you are still on the cruise. My cruise agent did not contact, Norwegian sent welcome aboard till day of cruise. It was NOT boarding we were on the port! Booked on Carninival on the port, we were last ones one the ship. Asked to talk to supervisor. Thank you Carnival!
Book early for destination based travel, Panama Canal 2024 (visits 4 first time destinations and passes through the Panama Canal full transit), Transatlantic 2025 (visits 5 first time destinations in one trip)
I read the prohibited items list and portable steamers are allowed. IRONS are not. We have taken our steamer on our 4 most recent cruises, Harmony 2018, Mariner 2019, Grandure 2022, and Harmony 2023. Carefully read your docs and when in doubt call!
@11:45 We're booked on the _Jewel OTS_ in November to Aruba. The price has dropped a couple of times, but I've only been able to get RCL to match the price _once._ I've gotten crap from them since.
Who the hell wants tips being charged to my account every day? Can't I tip out of my pocket? Please let me know because I need to know if I need to cancel my trip
It wasnt very clear but the casitas rentals are just for one day? They list all the dates "at sea" or "at port" im a first timer so this is all new to me and Id like to book things knowing the details of what im paying for.
I can SO echo the not flying the same day caution. We flew from San Diego to Seattle on the same day. Because yeah, Seattle NEVER has flight delays. We got to the airport and our flight was delayed by an hour. Then one of our party’s luggage never left SD. So we had to deal with that. THEN there was traffic getting to the port - which is NOT close to the airport. Gangway up was 3:00. We got there at 2:30, from an 8:00 scheduled flight lasting 3 hours. NEVER AGAIN. It is NOT worth gambling the cruise on the negligible cost of a hotel room. The person booking our travel was extremely frugal - knowing this now, I’ll make my own travel arrangements should we cruise together again. My embarkation day was nothing but stress for me. I’m 100% good on holding this boundary for future cruises! For our party whose luggage was left behind, the extra day would have allowed for its delivery. Instead, it met us in our first port of call, two days into the cruise.
I use Cruisebound and LOVE them. I had an alert 90 days out from our Royal Caribbean cruise, noticed a sudden and dramatic drop in prices, sent them screenshots and the URL and they promptly rebated my credit card almost $200. It was awesome, such great service.
Ban the couple for life. Also, my last cruise was in 2013 on Majesty of the Seas, and I felt safe. I would like to think it would be that way for any cruise 🛳
When I went on royal carribean, i tried to get medical assistance, and i was told that my travel insurance was not valid at sea. Could someone explain this??
Matt do they really weigh you for a snorkeling excursion? Says weight limit 270lbs to snorkel at Xmas tree cove with turtles and stingrays. If a boat can float there why can't a guy who's 6'5 and 280lbs linebacker who's solid float? If we pay for it can they actually say No you can't get in the water to snorkle. Should we cancel it? Thanks Matt.
I've snorkel ed in cozumel and they didn't weigh us. I don't recall them having a weight limit either. Some say they are picky with zip lines but snorkeling having a limit is weird...
@tduck828 I know it's getting ridiculous. I read the restrictions on the excursion and sure enough it says weight limit 270lbs. We were all laughing about that. Guess you can have a 100 thousand pound ship float there but not a 270pd person.
You are giving out Misinformation about the OPTIONAL 'Auto Gratuities' They go to the Waiters, Asst Waiters, and Cabin Stewards and Assistant Cabin Stewards. This information is directly from the Hotel Director on the Serenade or Grandeur in the winter of 2023. I asked 'What about the crew doing laundry ?' *NO* 'What about the crew washing dishes? *NO* What about guest services *NO* "What about the crew that are always vacuuming and dusting around the ship *NO* Also there are 3 options with the OPTIONAL Auto Gratuities - Prepay - Be charged Per Day while on the ship - Remove the Optional Auto Gratuities all together - BUT Dont be a BUTTHEAD - Go back to the OLD way of Cash Tipping. (Our Preference) When speaking with the crew (who would answer the question) they prefer the old fashioned way - Cash.
I should have watched this video before I booked! First time cruiser here, we leave in 30 days. I paid $2600 for a Suite for two for 5 days, but I chose "guarantee" Suite room. Will I still get a suite? I panicked after reading others say I shouldn't have done the 'guarantee' so I put in a bid for the Royal Suite (won't find out until the day of boarding if I got it?) Additionally, I paid $1100 for deluxe drink package for two, and used my $250 onboard credit available which brought that drink package down a bit (I read on other threads since I booked 'suite' I didn't necessarily need to buy drink package(s) - is this true?). I guess i'll learn my lesson once I board and find out the hard way!
Tried to book travel agent since you had good experiences with them but went through 3 and they were all flakes. Not sure if it's because post covid. I tried 2 times with MEI travel. One was not good at responding and I never got a response when I tried to reach out through the MEI travel site. 😑
Royal Caribbean has developed an age limit for some of their excursions in Mexico. Xcaret and Senses. We are 67 and 73. Told by Royal too old to visit these. Really excursions that requires walking around, ok for 5 year olds but not physically fit seniors
Are Royal Carribean enforcing an age limit or is it just a recommendation? Asking because my father in law is 73 and still runs marathons - he'd be PISSED if someone told him he wasn't allowed to go for a walk! 😂
@@Daz555Dazyou actually cannot book them. I’m planning our upcoming cruise with my in-laws coming along and my father in law is 72. I could NOT book certain excursions because of his age, his name was grayed out (the same for my 6 year old and 9 year old if there was a minimum age)
Many countries require your passport to be valid 6 months by the date of your departure. This is not a cruiseline requirement, but rather a country requirement. Although some countries still don't have this requirement, cruiselines are trying to err on the side of caution so make sure you have 6 months left on a valid passport from the end of your cruise trip. They may not let you board the ship if you don't. Unfortunately, this just means we pay a bit more frequently to renew our passports.
In reading other entries, it looks as if you are sailing on a closed loop where your first & last ports are US ports they will let you board with your original birth certificate. But not so sure they will let you leave the ship to enter another country/other non-US ports. Good luck. Bon voyage!
Sandi when you go into the RC app to check in, there is a place to add your passport…hold your phone camera up to your passport and it will pick up the needed information such as your passport number. It’s very easy to do. Also when taking your photo for the ship, stand in front of a white wall…it comes out clearly and helps for identification. Enjoy your trip! I’m jealous. ❤
So our first cruise on Royal Caribbean i have completed our documents i can see my boarding pass but cant see and other documents like our luggage tags anybody able to help answer me as to where i find those
RCB has a sponsor, MEI Travel, that you could work with. Personally, I use an agent through MEI and have had fantastic results. If you're not sure of what ship, where to go, etc., talking to a travel agent even before you're ready to book is super helpful. They can steer you toward something you'll really like versus kind of like, and they might have deals that aren't published online. Good luck!
We made plenty of mistakes when we sailed Freedom in July. We didn’t book with a travel agent, we weren’t interested in the shows they offered, and the excursions were misleading at best. It was supposed to be a belated honeymoon for my husband and me. We both lost 5 pounds and were so excited to see Miami and get off the ship. Even with owning that we made plenty of mistakes, I still don’t think we’d do it again. We booked a mini suite and it was one of the few bright spots of the entire trip. We also flew in the day before sailing, so we did do some things right.
I didn’t use a travel agent and I wish I had for our first cruise to Alaska. The saving grace for us is de bought the key so we still hzd an early chzck in time and the unlimited dining package. We didn’t realize that the Windjammer wasn’t the Main Dining Room but we just ate at the restaurants mostly any way. There’s so much to it. I’m glad I researched a lot. The upgrades saved my cruise experience
We look at itineraries and have zero interest in the private islands. So what is important is it should be no shorter than 7 nights, repositioning and transatlantic are the first ones checked. After that, we get inside rooms, they don't bother us at all and the cost savings usually equal plane ticket. We've had balcony and window rooms, don't spend enough time to enjoy them.
I don’t that many points to go to become Diamond on Royal. I have two Royal and one Celebrity cruises planned this year. Will my points transfer between the lines and make me a Diamond more quickly?
Sadly, points do not transfer between lines. Status match between the two lines is the next best thing when you get to diamond plus on royal. You call and match up with celebrity's elite status with no points accrued.
@@CruiseDude1 It does not. Each sailing on each line only earns loyalty points organic to the brand's organic loyalty program - that being C&A for Royal and Captain's Club for Celebrity. There is reciprocal status match across both brands topping out at Diamond (C&A) and Elite (Captain's Club). There has been some discussion by RCCL (the parent company of both brands) creating "synergies" between the two loyalty programs - but if that happens it will happen very slowly and in phases.
My passport expired in May but I have a cruise in 2 weeks. Are you telling me that they'll deny my boarding? I'd really appreciate an answer haha fuuuuudge me
RC website does say must be valid6 months after your return. Certain countries tries require passports too but not sure about that for them. Bring birth certificate just in case!
If you are on a closed-loop US sailing (starts and ends at the same US port), AND you are a US citizen, you can sail with your original (not copy!) birth certificate. No passport required for this. Just note that the birth certificate line at disembarkation is always WAY longer than the passport line.
Rule#1 stay away from airplanes or boats from which there is no escape. You might enjoy cruising aboard the USS Busybody. I do NOT! Bring triple or quadruple what you think you need for tips….and at that, it’ll be north of a thousand dollars to meet the minimum recommended tip. To pay them for performing the job they were hired to do. Also have some cash on the dock when a jabba the hut slovenly fellow or fellows lounging on peoples suitcases exclaim “YOU CAN TIP ME NOW” implying that you’ll never see your bag again unles you impress him with a sizable tip. It never stops the entire ride in a circle which I still don’t understand. A ship so huge you can barely smell the sea, let alone feel it. The busiest bodies who cannot stfu about being cruise veterans with helpful tips in between talking about passersby. I’d really happily take two black eyes to get out of cruising without hurting my wife’s feelings.
Yes, definitely get out of your comfort zone, great tip!! My next cruise is this Sept on a 10 night greece adriatic cruise out of Ravenna Italy on Explorer. This has been by far the most intense cruise to plan to date, but it is quite likely going to be one of thee best cruises iv been on!
@mhtammi Congratulations on your 30th anniversary! I could rave forever about cruising, I love every single thing about it. Ship life is beautiful. Since I won't be doing this cruise until Sept of this year I'm not able to give you my experience on that itinerary just yet. I can say that the folks in every video Iv watched in order to prepare have all had remarkable reviews of the itinerary. What I typically do before each cruise is I binge watch different you tube videos about the ports I will be visiting. I get a feel of what I'd most like to see/do in that port. Then when it comes time to book my excursions I know exactly what I want. For example; I learned that Santorini is a bit of a hassle to get to and from. The ship tenders folks in, and then from there the option is to take the gondola up, walk up (stairs are slippery and steep), take a donkey up, or purchase an excursion to get up. Either way, the only way to get onto/into Santorini is these options. I was just going to pre-purchase the gondola up ... until every single video I watched told of wait times of up to a 2 hour wait to go up as well as a 2 hour wait to go down. For me, thats 4 hours of very valuable time when time to see Santorini is limited. So I booked a very short excursion that includes VIP to the top. Also in my binge watching videos of others who have done this itinerary from the same embarkation port ... I discovered the embarkation port is not as it seems, and therefore I had to reroute/reconfigure my location of stay a couple days before embarkation (never fly in the day of, and I actually like to get there a few days early so my body adjusts to the change in time zones, and I can be well rested for my cruise. I hope yous do end up booking your first cruise to somewhere, and I hope you love cruising. Have fun planning, good luck, and again.... Happy anniversary 🎉
Cheryl, I think we’re going to be on the same ship! My travel companions and I are fairly experienced travelers, but newbies to cruising. I was glad to see your tips for learning about the ports (and the specific info about Santorini). Hopefully we’ll be able to make enough good choices to feel like we are getting the most out of our experience:)
Regarding your comments on passports, why does it have to be valid for 6 months after the last day of your cruise. For a Canadian entering America, the passport only has to be valid for the time of travel. For a Canadian re-entering Canada, the passport simply has to be valid. Why is RCCL playing the position of Customs and Border Protection?
