9 things that surprise people on Royal Caribbean 

I know you had a lot to share in a little time, but I believe the Refreshment or Deluxe package really get value when you know you can get bottled water, soda, juices, specialty coffee, shakes, smoothies and mocktails - so you don't need to drink just alcohol to get you money's worth.

We’re going for our honeymoon next year. Super excited. I’ve been watching all the videos I feel like I’m studying for an exam lol!!😂

Talking about $14 cocktails being expensive like I’m not already paying $14-18 for drinks before tax and tip at most restaurants where I live 😅

My first cruise, which was way back in like 2002, the thing that stood out to me- 1-you won’t get sick, it’s a big ship! We sailed around a hurricane and the waves were huge, and the ship was rocking. We got so sick. I don’t remember if we had Dramamine. I do remember my ex got so sick and the people at our dining table told us their’s a doctor on board but it’s really expensive. My ex went to the doctor and got some shots to help him with his nausea and sickness. The rest of the cruise, he was fine. But it cost us a hefty $300+ (at that time it was a lot). I learned to always get the prescription patch and to have Dramamine and Bonine with me. And I learned to get the insurance in case anything ever happens, at least we will be covered. 2- I learned that things add up quickly. We didn’t have internet like we do now. We had to buy everything on the cruise. Everything added up fast. Drinks back then were like $10-$12 bucks a drink. Times that by 2 people. And we are not big heavy drinkers but “When in Rome”. You see these delicious tropical drinks everywhere, all times of the day, you want a drink too. So we drank way more than we thought, and that’s alcoholic drinks. We did so the soda package at least. But you add all the drinks, the doctor bill, and any “extras”, we had a HUGE HEFTY BILL that we definitely did not expect. We went to Customer Service to dispute and found that yes, they were all right. So what I learned is-try to pay as much before the cruise, excursions, any drink packages, etc. that way, when you are on the cruise, all you have to worry about is souvenirs, anything extra that you may want to get, and tips. To me, I feel having everything paid for ahead of time takes that burden of “How much am I spending? How much do I have left to spend?” It takes that anxiety out or off your shoulders. 3- Last cruise I went on, I watched a lot of Videos from Matt”Royal Caribbean Blog” and I watched Illana from “Life Well Cruised”. They both had good tips and tricks of what to do, what to expect and what to get. Hope this helps with anyone who’s first time cruiser!

I'm going on my first Royal Caribbean cruise next year for our honeymoon. I've only been on Carnival. Always wanted to go on Royal. I can't wait!!!

The thing that surprised me the most on my first cruise (wasn't with Royal but still applies) is that soft drinks like soda are not included in the fare. You have to pay more or get a drink package that covers them. As for today, Royals drink packages are getting ridiculously expensive and I think that surprises a lot of people.

For bills, what I normally do is go to the bank and take out $150 and ask them to give me 50 ones and 25 fives and five tens. That usually gets me through a cruise for tipping. I usually do one or two bucks for bartenders or a 5 dollar bill if they go above and beyond. I like to give $25 to the room steward on the first day and then $25 on the last day. While it may or may not help you get better service, I know if it were me, I'd appreciate having something extra to start the cruise if I were doing that job.

One surprise on this video, at 8 minutes 2 seconds a waiter is dancing with a bottle on his head😊 Thank you for the guidance, Matt, really appreciate your Royal Caribbean cruise insights.

We went on a Mediterranean cruise several years ago and one stop was in Rome. The ship docks at a port 1 hour away which made our tour of Rome too short. We always felt slighted because there is so much to see and do. This year we booked a Greek Isles cruise that starts in Rome. We are arriving 4 days early to enjoy all there is in Rome before we board the ship. It's like a vacation before our vacation. WIN WIN!!!

On our first cruise we didn't realize it cost almost as much to book a non-balcony cabin than to book one with a balcony. The first time we booked one, we realized we were missing out all this time! They're nice and relaxing and we will get a balcony from now on. We also were glad we didn't get any kind of drink package. I don;t drink and my wife has an occassional glass of wine. The drink package would have been a waste. I wish I had known that on RC Blog there are cruise compasses that give you the happenings on the ship. That helped a lot on my recent cruises. You don't go in blind and you can plan accordingly.

Going on our first cruise April 28th, but have been following your channel since 2019 as we were scheduled to set sail April 5th 2020! Well, you know what happened the week before our sailing. Even though we are newbies, feeling very prepared given the advice gleaned from your videos.

They don’t do this anymore but main dining room was a 7 course meal on my first cruise.

5:03 also dont buy candles at port and expect to bring them on board, they will confiscate the pretty shell candle and make you pick it up at the end of the cruise…

1st cruise next week on Freedom... I think I knew most of those things and didn't buy a booze package because I'll never have time to drink enough to make sense.. Heck, one of the days is off the boat in Nassau so the package does nothing at that point. If the cost were per couple or cabin I would have,.. but per person\ per day was WAY over budget.. Can't wait..! Already packed. plane ride Sunday evening! I believe this will be the start of something habitual.. unless the world keeps going toward crazy and unsafe.. Thanks for the hints.

For the multiple dishes at the MDR, you order both, but they will put in the orders in succession.

On my first cruise (10+ years ago), I was surprised at how small the rooms are. It all makes sense now, but it was just not something I thought about before going the first time. Ive been on 4 more royalcaribbean cruises, and i have 4 more scheduled. My biggest recommendation is to get a balcony or at least an ocean view for the first cruise.

In my experiences, even with a drink package (all cruise lines), when NOT in international waters, some ports like Seattle, NYC charge an additional tax that will show up on your onboard account. 💲💲💲 it's small like 10 cents a drink, but something to be aware of.

I was surprised by the amazing talent of the performing artists!!! WOW! Also how the crew will bend over backwards to make your time onboard fabulous! Finally the subset of guests who were unbelievable rude and hateful to crew members was truly shocking.

I miss my cruise, I can’t believe it’s already been a whole week since I was out at sea

That was the same exact cruise ship that I was on in 2022😊

yay

I am all about wear what you want but, they need to enforce the dress code in reference to flip flops and shorts ect in the Main Dining room. Last cruise it was pretty rough. Some things I don't want to see while eating. It was more then one night so they definitely didn't enforce it at all

I going on my first RC cruise, I'm so excited but so scared that I won't do what I need to for this to be a carefree cruise..

Any thoughts on Royal vs. Carnival

Drink of the day are on sale. About 50% off.

The one big then that surprised me was actually the ocean. Ever since I've been on my 1st one (been on 15 and just hit Diamond +) I can't stop dreaming about that beautiful water

Did not think to pack tennis shoes for the kids for basketball or pants and socks for ice skating

I'm going on the symphony of the seas between the 20th to the 27th of October. Do you know any tips and tricks for me to follow because I'm in a wheelchair and how do I get onto the bridge for a bridge tour?

Royal Caribbean, should make it available to book shows on all classes of ships, not just the Oasis, Quantum and Icon classes. If you're going to do something such as this, roll it out to all your ships@

Can you talk about specialty teas and coffees? I never get the drink package (5 beers on a 7 day cruise) but it seems that coffees and teas are a "pay for" item on RC.

Drink package only worth it if you want to get hammered.

Dress code is pretty much NON-existent now compared to the old days of cruising. As long as you are not wearing 'beach wear' in the dining room, pretty much everything goes.

Are there any free beverages included as part of your cruise besides a couple of dining areas?

So, been about 14 years since i went on a carnival, just went on the Allure. The Allure was AMAZING. None of the oasis class ships are going to the western Caribbean in a timeframe i can manage. Is Carnival any good at all? It seems like a “train wreck” on carnival lately

@royalcaribbeanblog how long before my cruise can I book the shows I want to attend?

In terms of a special dress night i.e, White night or 70s night... will guests be advised ahead of time before the cruise of what dress code nights will be happening?

We are taking our first Royal cruise, should we fly into Miami or Ft. Lauderdale? We have never been to that port. Can you advise?

I know u said u have to carry on 12 pack water and soda. But Can u put the wine in checked luggage? Thx in advance.

46 days!

Be prepared for weather changes.

Can you bring your curling iron?

I've been in the main dining room and seen people in shorts, flip flops and baseball caps. I saw a guest allowed in the main dining room wearing a sleeve less shirt. The dress code aren't enforced. Unlike like Celebrity that does enforce the dress codes.

when do theme nights/formal nights get posted or announced? thank you.

You don’t have to tip when you paid the pre cruise tip amount right?

I'm doing a transatlantic sailing on May 1st (departing from the USA and arriving in Barcelona). Will guest services have euros? I don't see any other way to conveniently get a few euros before I'm on land in Spain. Thanks!

First time cruiser in March this year… Freedom on the Seas. I wish I hadn’t bought the sofa drink package. It was not a good value considering what we got. The whole cruise was disappointing overall.

I have a long winded question too long to type here! Is there an email somewhere I could send it to you?

I complain last cruise o smell smoke they did nothing in my cabin all I could smell smoke nothing was done

I see 2 uncovered swimsuits on buffet today. So far.

No handcuffs?! How about zip ties? 😂

I shave my own head with my electric clippers with plug is it allowed on board?

I’m pretty sure we were not allowed to bring bottled water, only canned.

If your drinking 5 or 6 drinks every day of the cruise the drink package might make sense but if not every single day it's not worth it.

You missed the biggest shocker: Forced and double "gratuities". Not only do they charge you a gratuity for the MDR each night, they charge a FULL maximum gratuity (18%-20%) on any specialty dining without crediting you for the MDR that you are not going to. On your drink package, there is also a forced gratuity but there is still a tip line on the receipt. Tip creep is a big problem everywhere but on a cruise ship they crank it up to the max. Plus NEVER tip the "porter!" They are teamsters, and not only do they earn well over $100k/year, they shut down cruising for weeks to get it.

Slow down and ENUNCIATE!

I have a round brush blow dryer that I really need for my hair, is it allowed??

Cash? USD cash on board or what currency… I’m Canadian

no handcuffs???? not even the pink fuzzy ones? Geez... party poopers... lol

Cashless ship shouldn’t even be said, or advertised. As much as I would like to pay in silver and gold you do need it at the end of the day

No.1. Surprise bills on disembarking

I'm going to date myself here! What surprised me? That the cruise line would hand me a Margherita in one hand and a loaded shotgun in the other. That's right! Drunk skeet shooting was a real thing in the 1980s!

matt the greedskate

For all of us non Americans out there, pleeeeease speak more slowly.

3 views in 1 minute? bro fell off

The thing that surprised me most was how terrible it was. I’ve only ever been on dcl before and it seems like everything but the shows was worse on royal the ship was dirty (symphony ots) the food was garbage the entertainment schedule was whack the guests were rude and all the chairs were taken at 7 not that I wanted one the teens were a whole situation and the crew burnt out. Never sailing royal again also tired of you using “royal is a for profit company” as an excuse. All the crosses lines are for profit companies plenty of them offer a better experience than royal.