I love reading and sharing Royal Caribbean tips that help to have a better cruise experience, but some of them sound better than they perform when you try them out.
The drink package: go on a cruise and DON'T buy the drink package. Afterwards, add up how much you spent on drinks. If you would have saved money with the package, you can buy it for the rest of your life. But I truly believe that having it strongly encourages people to drink more than they would if they were buying drinks one at a time.
Not necessarily if you don't cruise often and want to enjoy yourself. They run sales on the packages too. You may only end up a little under or breaking even but it can add up quick with beverages plus tips.
My husband and I never get the internet package. Honestly, we've never missed it. That's just us. Not gonna lie, we do often enjoy a port day onboard. On new itineraries, we almost always book an excursion or plan something in port on our own. You're absolutely right about considering the weather and time of year before booking a cruise excursion. We tend to plan and book cruises way in advance. Our travel agent makes it easy and always finds what we consider the best deals. We have friends that never book specialty restaurants because they don't want to pay extra. Their rationale is that the food in the MDR and Windjammer are just as good. We almost always book at least one specialty restaurant and have never regretted it. The meal is always exceptional and the atmosphere intimate. We have been in many different stateroom classes. What we book depends on our budget and the itinerary. Most times we book a balcony stateroom. As we've gotten older, we tend to book a balcony most times. We hit Diamond level last year. We no longer purchase the drink package primarily for this reason. Does walking through the gym count as going to the gym??
Wow, this was an EXCELLENT video, and I agree with all of your tips. The only thing I would add, and this tip is only for introverted people who need consistency, *NEVER get My Time Dining.* You know yourself. And you know the usual times you get hungry and what types of entertainment you want to do in the evening. If what you like doing tends to be in the 7-9pm range, then sign up for 5pm or 6pm (whichever RCCL does). If you don't like late night events, then the later 8pm dinner might be good for you. But loads of people told me to choose My Time Dining and it was horrible. Waiting for a table, always sitting in a different section, it was terrible.
This is interesting. I'm an introvert and would hate dining at the same table at the same time with the same people. Wouldn't mind waiting and being in a different section in each night. Vive la difference!
So…this guy is an extrovert. I love staying onboard and I always find something to do on port days, it’s far more calming and relaxing. I have about two to three alcoholic drinks a day, so I’m not paying for up to 15 per day in a package. Who packs a poofy dress? I’ve never met anyone who’s done that. I totally agree about the cheapest cabin, though. I’m on vacation, and don’t do more than two cruises per year, I want a very good cabin. Since I cruise solo, I stopped bringing magnets and such because I’m fine, not a lot of clutter. Anything I can reserve ahead of the cruise, I do, so I agree that never wait to get onboard to do anything. Happy Cruising! 😊🎉
Admit to being odd man out - don't buy internet (not necessary for work or family at this point), do not buy a drink package as we average a drink pre dinner and a morning coffee ( drink water from the ship and fill my water bottle), cabin choice is based on specific cruise and whether we will use a balcony or sleep great in an interior. Everyone should create the trip that suits them best.
Plan to "max out" the drink plan sounds great at home... Not so much on the ship. You get sick, throw up, have a miserable night of the bed spins, and as a bonus are hung over the next day for your excursion!
We used to book smaller cabins when we first started cruising and as the years went by we started booking ocean view cabins then balcony cabins and now in our seventies we generally book jr suites or above depending on what’s available! Frankly as we got older we tended to spend more time in our cabin so we decided to book bigger cabins!
When in the Caribbean we seldom get off the ship unless it's just to wander around in the port. We've been on many cruises and after a while all the ports are the same. I'm convinced that a container ship leaves China loaded with identical contents in each container, then they drop a couple at each port. They have people in the back rooms putting "Jaimaica" or "Cozumel" or any other island on each item then distributing them to all of the seller booths. By all means if you are somewhere you've never been see if you can get an overview trip and note what you may want to do next time. But realize even then a banana plantation is a banana plantation. We almost always choose based on ship not itinerary. Exceptions are US coastal cruises, there's nothing like being able to rent a car from Enterprise and driving the Pacific coast yourself, or even visiting friends/relatives that you don't get to see. Of course we also usually book inside cabins and we don't drink much so we on't get a package. Last cruise we prepaid gratuities and our end of voyage charge was $0. Some say cheap, some say frugal, say great, let's book another!
Totally agree. We've been to most of the islands in the Caribbean several times and we've also been on many awful shore excursions. Our last cruise, seven day Western, we never got off. Just the length of the pier to get from the ship to the shopping area or taxi stand was daunting, and there was no type of transportation available for that initial journey.
Cruise ship excursions are horrifically expensive. When we reached a port, and stepped outside the ship, there were a line up of independent shore excursions waiting outside the ship ready to take us for an excursion, and these were a fraction (say half) of what the cruise ship excursions cost.
Here's my personal take on the drink package... RCL requires that every person in your stateroom over the age of 21 gets the same alcohol package. Even if you get the more expensive drinks ($14 ea) you have to drink 6 drinks every day of your cruise to justify that expense (unless you get the package on a really great deal.) So, for a couple, that equates to 12 drinks a day between the 2 of you. Now, if you are in port for 4 days of a 7 night cruise, I think drinking 6 $14 drinks from dinner to bedtime EVERY DAY is quite a bit. On sea days, you might hit that 6 drink minimum relatively easily. But, are you going to then drink enough to make up for the missed drinks on port days. Keep in mind, that 6 drinks is only if you are drinking the higher priced drinks. If you are drinking a beer, or standard rum and coke, it will take 8-10 of those to get to the $90/day cost of the drink package. Now, with all of that said, I recognize that I am not a drinker, at all. So that 12 drinks a day would have to all fall on my wife, and if she has 4 drinks on a sea day, I'm surprised. I also agree with many of the comments that say they would definitely drink less without the drink package. Let's face it, everyone on a cruise overeats, because it is there, and it is free. The drinks being "there" and "Free" because you already bought the drink package will put you in the same boat. BTW I am sailing in less than 10 days, on my 6th RCCL cruise, I love every bit of it!! Everything else in the video I agree with, except the hot excursions thing. I am a very active person, and I love the more strenuous activities. However, most of my cruising is in February, so the heat is not the same as it will be when I sail next week.
I love Royal Caribbean Blog, but sometimes it’s a little too obviously just an arm of Royal Caribbean. The first 3 suggestions are to do the most expensive add ons even it is seems like a waste of money. 🙄
You’ll love it. A little over 30 days to go for me. Not my first cruise but it is my best friends first cruise so I’m excited to introduce her to the world or cruising.
I got the drink package on my last cruise and actually didn't even drink any alcohol one day and I still came out ahead because of the other days and the coffee's, sodas, Red bulls, fresh squeezed juices, Powerades, and waters.
Yeah a lot of the arguments against it just target alcohol, but it includes everything and nothing is cheap when youre buying them and adding it all up plus tips.
I went up the cabin type ladder; staring with inside cabins my first two cruises. The inside cabins were like closets with a bed and bathroom. Never again. Then I moved up to outside , then balcony, and finally I am stuck with (happily) jr suites. I will NOT go back just to save money. As for wi-fi, I am on the PC at home many hrs of the day. But when I crusie there are too many other things to do on ship rather then stare at a PC screen. I typically don't even use all of the free wi-fi I get as a D+ royal cruiser. Biggest mistake I sometimes make: bring too many clothes. At home I figure I am gonna change clothes every day. In reality on ship I wear the same stuff (except always clean underwear) every day, or wear it again a day or so later.
@@johnlavery6116 To save money: - Do NOT purchase all of the photos that the staff will take of you while on the ship and sometimes also at port stops. Take your camera with you and take your won photos all over the ship; ask other passengers and they will gladly take photos for you. - If you don't have a requirement to have wi-fi while on your crusie, wait until you get to a port stop and find an internet cafe (ask the wait staff as they generally can tell you where there's low cost internet.) - Skip the specialy restaurants that are generally very pricey, i.e. $25-45 per person. You will not be able to eat all of the free food on ship. - Book your cruise as early as you can. Cruise prices go up as the cruise date approaches. -Skip the drink packages as you would have to drink 6 or 7 drinks EVERY day of your cruise for the package to be a bargain. And remember you will be off the ship for 3 or 4 days in port stop so that cuts your on-ship drinking time. - The crusie line allows you to bring on board with you at the DEPARTURE PORT ONLY 2 bottles of wine (no hard liquor or beer) per cabin, and you can also bring a 6 or 12 pack of your favorite soft drinks. So bring drinks for use in your cabin -Skip the on-ship spa services as they are generally VERY expensive. -Remember that you do NOT have to book tours off the ship unless you want to. Many ports in the caribbean you can get a taxi to a beach for a lot less than a ship's tour.
@@edwesby5752 Thank you for taking the time to reply......that is very helpful...and in depth advice.....can i ask you if there were any hiden hiden charges on the final bill,,...and were you charge port fees?....thank you.
Until my last cruise I thought like many people did - that not having internet might even be a good thing, you get to "unplug." Well, we had no WiFi for several days on my last cruise (it was literally turned off). It was then that I discovered just how much we need/use it on a ship aside from the obvious. First, there was a FB group for the cruise and lots of people were meeting & making plans via the group. I booked a private tour with someone who had put it out on the FB. Suddenly we had no way to communicate. Second, the preferred method of communication among the people on the ship was WhatsApp. We'd make dinner arrangements, plan shows, excursions, etc. A friend's son lost his key and was locked out of his room and for hours he and his mom could not connect with each other. Until we didn't have the ability to chat via FB and WhatsApp I never would have thought how much we needed it.
Item #2 is certainly valid as long as you don’t have any mobility limitations. Not many cruise lines have excursions for folks that have trouble walking.
All these cruise tips were something we actually utilize except for the gym tip. We literally made sure we are at the gym every day strictly because of the drink package that we purchased 😂 I had to earn all of those drinks before I started each day 😂.
I think ? It was your tip to pay attention to sales offered and rebook or cancel if options go down in price ! Fourth of July sale by RC just came up and I cancelled my three excursions and rebooked them … saved about 100 ! Great tip ! Well worth the hassle of cancelling and rebooking! Easy peasy ! Glenda !
My wife and I always book the cheapest cabin we can find. Interior is fine for the two of us, we don't spend much time there anyway, saving money allows us to cruise twice as much. We LOVE having a balcony to sit on in the mornings, or late evening before going to bed, but, we'll make that sacrifice to be able to cruise more.
The Deluxe Drink package value depends depends on your C&A status. Diamond status gets 4 $14 drink vouchers, D+ 5. So a cheaper non-alcoholic drink package works, even if you drink a couple more alcoholic drinks than your allowance on occasion , which is easy to do on cruise days. Also, I drink around a gallon bottled water a day. So that alone more than pays for the Refreshment Package. 😎
That's a great point. There are a lot of factors to consider such as the crown and anchor status as you point out and how much one will drink in terms of alcohol above not alcohol which is the price difference you should look at compared to the refreshment package. Also whether or not you plan on drinking mostly beers at 8 bucks a piece or mixed drinks at 14 bucks a piece.
I totally agree! I'm Diamond, but I drink like a fish on cruises. So, last week on the Indep I decided to check out my totals and do the math. Yep, even with 4 free drinks, it was still worth me getting the Deluxe package! Ooof. Also, I had a Gold cabin mate... but my favorite thing about the drink package is not having to sign the receipt every time. I feel like I save hours not doing that ;) My mom is D+, doesn't drink much and she gets annoyed at the free drink "ticket" process. So, everyone needs to do the math on their own personal drinking habits, there is no one size fits all response.
This is one of your better info and tips videos. But, do you really buy the drink package when you are Diamond Plus, or Pinnacle now? My wife and I are fine with the 4 free drinks a day with our Diamond Perks. And we don't drink soda at all (unless rum is with it)
Wifi - Fully agree, get it, get it before the cruise and save money that way. Excursions - In SAFE ports, this is all well and good if you love to explore just be responsible and plan to be back well before you're supposed to be. Buy yourself the time to run into unexpected issues. Drink packages - While I agree that people may drink differently while on vacation. You have to consider who all is traveling with you, since they arent a per person only expense. Normally, I had maybe a drink or two a day... other than that it was just coffee, tea and soda. Traveling with my partner,,,, he tends to get more out of the package than I would and I find myself drinking a little more to get something out of the package. But by the time I factor in the difference in cost between the soda/coffee/bottled water packages.... just doing the aycd package.... just makes sense anymore. New bookings - fully agree Gymming - This one is definitely easieir said than done. Unless you are REALLY conveniently located near the gym, most aren't going to want to go through the effort. I'd sacrifice some classes/training to have a few smaller gyms throughout the ship. Cabin type - Again, fully agree. Depending on the cruise, it may be worth going with an inside cabin. But often, a balcony or even mini-suite will make the cruise that much more enjoyable. We're all going to get peopled out, so being able to go back to your cabin, sit on a couch (not on your bed) to read, watch tv, or just scroll through FB in silence will just make it that much more worth it; Same for not being on top of your cruise partner(s) the entire time. This is also another instance to do your research on where your cabin is located and pick the exact cabin you want. Saving a few bucks with a 'guaranteed' state room is not worth it in my eyes. I personally have no motion sickness issues, so I can be content just about anywhere... as long as it's quiet and I'm getting what I knowingly paid for.
Hah, the gym routine tip was totally me on my first cruise some 20 years ago. I saw where the gym was, but never stepped foot in it the entire time. On the positive side, dont beat yourself up about it if you had a physically active cruise. Walking, hiking, swimming, snorkeling all definitely made up for a lot of the missed gym routines, though it was not enough to overcome my weight scale after the cruise. lol
@@lynneshapiro3248 I snorkeled in Roatan, though this was over 20 years ago, at that time it was one of the stops on my cruise. It was one of my best memories from the cruise actually.
Drink packages make sense for those who love specialty coffees and or don’t have status, but with 4 drinks per day with diamond status, my husband and I find we don’t use them all some days and go over on only a couple of days. So no drink package for us.
I used to get ocean view cabins and always the deluxe drink package when a newer cruiser with Royal Caribbean. My experience with having a balcony for the first time on a cruise to Alaska has changed my perspective and I am now one of those who get a balcony or jr suite as these provide a very enhanced vacation from my point of view. I now get the Refreshment drink package after being able to get free drinks when reaching Diamond status. These extras are a personal choice as everyone needs to evaluate what is truly important and cost effective for their vacation. The internet is another item I always get as I need to be able to receive messages while away via email for emergency purposes and also just to be able to connect with the groups for group activities I've joined. You never know what might be happening while away and may need to receive a message. It's a small cost also for one device.
To me, a drink package is something that will "pay for itself" only if I get a drink package. What I mean is that if I don't get a drink package, then I'll be more conservative with my drinking onboard, take advantage of the carry-on wine policy, and maybe indulge more when I'm off the ship at a port. And as someone who goes to the gym 3 times a week, I will say that the hardest part of going to the gym... is going to the gym. And to be honest - on a cruise, I will likely have zero motivation to go. But I'll bring my shoes, just in case.
The point about staying on the ship on a port day is quite appealing to me for our May 2024 cruise. Extreme heat and excursions NOPE. Not really into the excursions anyway. So much is changing on Cococay that the day passes to Coco Beach I bought may be a mistake. As far as cabin choice: we started with an ocean view deck 2 that we are upgrading (a guaranteed? cabin - we’ll see how that works out - fingers crossed). I still wonder about drink pkgs tho. I typically don’t drink alcohol, we don’t drink anything other than water coffee tea sparkling water daily. So, I don’t think a beverage pkg is available that is worth it for us 🤔 Always great info and strategies !!
@@heatherknowles3124 if you drink any specialty coffees or prefer bottled water it might be worth it to get the refreshment package. However if you are good with the tap water and regular coffee then absolutely not worth spending the money on it for yourself. Cruising really is individualized and what's worth it for one person may not be worth it for someone else. Hope your cabin works out.
@@TyreeTravels I would imagine the coffee is made with the same water as the "tap" on the ship generally. But I would prefer bottled water and there is a reasonable option for that. Still have to consult my sister/cabin mate to see what she wants to do. :)
Since I only drink 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks per day, I buy the refreshment package. That way I get all the mocktails, bottled waters, specialty coffees, fresh juice, etc. And I really don't spend much at all on the alcoholic drinks I get.
I will be sailing on Oasis of the Seas in a few weeks and there is a wifi deal for 25% off each additional device. This means that buying wifi for 1 guest with 4 devices is cheaper than buying wifi for 4 guests for 1 device. I was wondering how logging into the wifi works on the ship and if other guests can use the wifi purchased for one guest with multiple devices. Thank you!
I have never bought the wifi package, however, I have gotten international day pass for when I am at port to use my phone, $10 on days you use it. To me, that's worth it. I also don't drink enough to actually get the drink package. I am simple person, meaning I drink basic coffee with cream, tea or water. I might have a glass of wine at dinner or cocktail here or there but never ever enough cover 1 day of the drink package, let alone a whole week. I do agree with getting off at port, even to just walk around or visit some shops. I have never gotten the cheapest room, I like my balcony. Everyone is different, so best to know yourself and be realistic. If you don't visit the gym a lot at home, you probably not going to visit it on a cruise. A tip for ladies about wearing a dress on the ship or even at port where it can be windy is to wear a pair of shorts under, so you don't have to worry if it flies up.
We’re old (early 70s) so comfort and quality are most important. We book a suite. Owner Suites and larger are almost like you never left home. And on Oasis-class breakfast and lunch in Coastal Kitchen is better and much more enjoyable than Windjammer (aka The Trough) or the MDR. We also get the UDP and eat upscale every night and sometimes for lunch.
I don’t drink differently on vacation than not. I rarely drink. I know an alcohol package isn’t worth it for me. Last year when I went on a cruise, I had a grand total of 1 alcoholic drink over the course of a 7 night cruise, despite having an alcohol package.
The refreshment package would probably be a better option for you if you like soda, specialty coffees, bottled water, Powerades, Red bulls, and fresh squeezed juices.
Hello Matt we watch your videos all the time love the ship tours. Thoughts on internet packages drink packages etc. Everyone's needs are different if you are a ytube vloger yes part of your business on line needed, drinks same if you drink lots yes get a package cgeaper for you. we don't drink alcohol at all I'm allergic and without that added cost we save on our cruises better cabins instead. Tours etc same what you want out of your cruise up to your individual needs and tastes. We just got off of Ovation of the seas and noticed food in dining room a little bit lack luster. The butter was even replaced with a thing they called hybrid spread a mix of buttermilk and vegetable oil not good maybe cheaper but the bread service not as good. Little off topic but in the end choices are up to you and what you like in a quality cruise for yourself.
Disagree with almost all of these lol for example the cabin. I always book the cheapest because most time is spent elsewhere. I don’t book a cruise to stay in the room. Got a large balcony sweet for a 2 week cruise once spent the first two mornings on it then never used it again. Save money spend it on excursions or elsewhere.
I just used 4g. As a European in Europe, roaming is free. To avoid the extra charge of cellular at sea, I set the Network choice to manual, and only selected the providers from shore. A little tricky perhaps on sea days, but as long as I was within about 100 km to shore, and on the right side of the ship, I had better internet access than the poor wifi could provide. I only enabled wifi when I needed to use their app.
Great video as usual but you can't sell me on a drink package. Especially when everyone in your cabin has to buy one. I don't drink heavy at home and I'm not going to drink much more on vacation.
Good stuff, but (for most of us) something’s gotta give. For me that’s getting the cheapest cabin. Which frees up money to buy the Wi-Fi, the drinks package, to go into port and inevitably spend money etc.
Taking your own bags off at disembarkation. We thought we’d do that once but so did hundreds of others and the lifts were full going past our floor for ages. We ended up going up and then coming down to disembark.
Nice video, Matt! Thanks for sharing. Please allow me to add my contribution. I am a stocks market enthusiast, so I decided to open a bank account in the USA (I am Brazilian) in order to buy 100 shares of RCCL at NYSE, so that I could get US$ 100 of on-board credit on most of my cruises. That sounded good at first because I plan to cruise often (at least thrice a year). Stock prices may be highly volatile, though, and without WiFi it would be impossible to sell them if they started plummeting, so I would be worried about them and unable to enjoy the cruise. Hence, I decided to sell most of them and rebuy them when they get cheaper. I hope that helps others.
You are absolutely right when you talked about the cabin choice. Is there any truth to if you get a "Star" suite, all guests will have the drink package and wifi ?
We don't get the wifi. T-mobile's service includes the Caribbean and if we need to check something, we'll just wait until we get to port and are off the ship's network. We do get off at a port and just walk around the port a bit but after experiencing Falmouth, we aren't leaving a port again. The other issues are meh excepting the cabin. We spend very little time in our cabin except to change or sleep so for us there's no point in an expensive cabin. In the end, it's all personal preference and experience. The more you cruise, the more you learn, the more you adjust, the more fun you have.
Bring an over-the-door shoe organizer for all your stuff. People love to give this tip for some reason. It just gets in the way. Better advice: Bring less stuff so you don’t need an organizer.
Great video! Regarding your last tip, how do you feel about the solo cabin space for a potential solo cruiser? I've never been in one, but I'm planning to.
Hi, I had a solo cabin on my very first cruise and I haven't done it since. It was okay but I had really no desire to spend any time in it. On the other hand, I've had balcony rooms that I hardly spent time in, either, and had second thoughts about it. It really comes down to how much time you expect to be in your room.
I do a lot of oil cruises. I’ve noticed that solocabins can be just as expensive as a basic inside guarantee cabin,if not more. However,on some ships there is a special lounge just for the solo cabins. If your ship has that, definitely get the solo as you can meet a lot of great people in the lounge, on special activities, etc.
Hey Matt! I just heard about a harbor strike in Canada that's going to start on 1st of July and might last the entire rest of the season, and possibly further, for the Alaska Cruises for 2023! Have you heard about it?
Don, the guy that does the other Cruise blog, did, so Matt will probably be on it soon. This could wipe out my Alaska Cruse set for the third week in July. Trip Insurence!
Going to Aruba for next cruise in September. Saw that RCL offered excursion I really like but it has been sold out ( catamaran and snorkel) Do I contact the company doing the excursion to see if they have open spots? Take my chances more will open up via the cruise? Any advice? It would be for 5 people.
I do not buy drink packages any longer! I believe royal has gotten out of hand for drink package pricing! We currently have two royal cruises booked. Package on voyager is $100 a day! Our sailing on Icon is $115! That's rediculous!! I would need to stay drunk most of the time to just break even. And, why are the different from ship to ship, and sailing to sailing? I feel like royal is just trying to stick it to me with what they charge for a drink package. I just refuse to buy a package on royal anymore. Why should i, when I don't drink that much. I can sail on carnival (1 booked now), and buy a drink package for $59.99!!!! Any ship, any sailing. Royal can keep their drink package!
29 days to Serenade of The Seas from Tampa, 373 days to Wonder Of The Seas from Port Canaveral, and trying to figure what to book in the middle of these 2?
My comment would be, pack fewer clothes than you think you need. You can always do a load in the laundrette if needed. If this keeps you from bringing an additional suitcase, awesome!
There is no launderette on a Royal Caribbean ship. You have to pay for laundry service. I’ll take more clothes and be sure I have enough to cover my trip.
Mostly everthing you said is more money for royal carribean.. we work to save for the cruise and then get hit with very costly drink packages and wifi. Wifi cost at home for 7.days is 10 times cheaper.. we all.are on Vacation but were all are not rich
My husband doesn't drink at all, and I am a light drinker. I have a glass of wine with dinner and maybe a cocktail in the evening lSo we never get the drink package.
Does anyone know if I need to purchase WiFi to look at the Royal Caribbean app? Also, is there any messaging within the app without WiFi to other parties? I’ve only been on Disney cruise line and they had a messaging app within the app without WiFi and we easily messaged each other in that app and didn’t need a WiFi package. I don’t want a WiFi package if I don’t have it is there a way to communicate with your party on board?
Yeah but what if you don’t drink at all then there’s no point in buying the package. So yes I can see how that could work for some people but not for all.
I love your videos, very informative. But, omg, we don’t have the same budget!! I feel like you always insist that spending this and that is so much worth it. The drinking package is more like 6-7 drinks a day to benefit from it, the internet package is ridiculously price for a single day… I know cruising isn’t cheap, but it’s not necessary to splurge so much to have a great time.
I had the deluxe drink package on my last cruise. Even though I could get all the drinks, including bottled water, I wanted, I thought it would be a good idea to buy the 24 pack of bottled water. That way, I would have water ready for me each day and night, and I wouldn’t have to ask the bartender for water. I purchased it and when I got to my cabin there was a case (24 pack) of water. I think I may have drank 5 bottles of water that whole week. Even though it was a good idea in theory, in reality it was clearly was a waste of money.
With all the money people pay to cruise, some type of WiFi should be included in the price, so no thanks. Drink packages are wayyyy too much! I'm not into drinking like that.
I have never had the desire to get on the internet while on a cruise. I thought it was a bit strange and sad to see couples glued to their phones in the dining room or by the pool.
I like my vacation to be more fun and comfortable than at home. Internet and drinks ? I have those at home, so why I inconvenience myself without internet and drinks when on vacation ? Better stay at home then. One or two Specialty restaurants will make my day, enjoying great food and service.
I would happily hit the gym every morning if it opened earlier. I am awake at 3:30 or 4:00 every day, but the gym didn't open until 6:00. I am well into my day by then.
Been on 15 cruises, never bought internet. Its completely not necessary. I go on cruises to disconnect. Also never bought a drink package. Also completely unnecessary and lots of excess calories you don't need.
Thinking that Coco Cay will be a bargain. Stay on the ship or don't go on a cruise with this aforementioned place on the itinerary. It's boring as well as expensive. A person can spend less and have more fun in a regular port. (my opinion)
Wish I have Hundreds If Not Thousands to spend on Top of the cruise price to enjoy a cruise. What ever happened to $100.00 per day per person for Truly enjoyable cruise. I guess they're gone Forever 😢.
I don't agree with some of these. First, you can live without wifi. The ship will give you access to the internet for things like communicating with family on board or accessing the app, but usually if you are economizing then I would dump the internet. Unless you flew into the port, you shouldn't really need it for much, and even then you can just get a day pass for that last day of the cruise. Then the drink package...unless you like alcoholic drinks and you are trying to cut cost, I wouldn't bother. You can get free juices in the Windjammer and if you're like me, the free water is more than enough, and just a soda with dinner. My last cruise on Royal, that's what I did. As for the puffy dress...as a guy my experience is limited, but I have known women who have stated they actually hate wearing pants because of the way women's pants are cut and most of them aren't breathable. But I have seen women who will wear them on shore excisions, especially to hot ports of call or even to beaches or water based activities. That dress style was originally designed less for style and more for practicality and was often worn in many of the hotter and humid areas which these cruises take place, and were designed to help them keep cool. In fact, in many traditional outfits from humid regions, both males and females wore "dress like" outfits for decades after colonization often only switching to pants as they were forced onto them, but they have been bringing them back because of they are more comfortable in hotter weather. I have also seen women prefer them on those aforementioned shore excursions because they can wear a bathing suite below them and they are easily removed and replaced and are less likely to become uncomfortable when wet. Its more about knowing when to wear it, and just dealing with those consequences when you do. Also, I've done the gym practically every day one a cruise (prior to COVID, I haven't been to one on my two since). Typically I only didn't because of shore excursions, so while I do agree with what you are saying I also don't agree. But unless the cheapest room on board is a balcony, I am 100% with that thing about the cheapest room on the ship, which is often times a closet next to the engine room.
After watching your channel for several months now I am beginning to wonder why you only concentrate 100% on RCL. Other than defining your channel there may be other questionable influences.
For our next cruise, we are buying wi-if for ONE device. That way we have access but don’t pay extra. We also don’t buy the drinks package because neither of us drinks alcohol or coffee. (I agree, we’re wired). But if we did drink, then an all-inclusive package of drinks, wi-if and tips for both folks us makes sense.
This was my husband and I. We just got off Oasis this morning. We got WiFi for 1 device, and used his phone as a Hotspot for my phone and laptop if I needed to look anything up. We passed on the alcohol package and settled for the refreshment package. I'm glad we did. We bought 1 cocktail the first day for sail away, and it was so weak, we didn't buy anymore alcoholic drinks for the rest of the cruise.
Nice video.
I got the alcohol package.
I may or may not drink enough to break even, but the relief factor of not having to worry about it is worth it.
The drink package: go on a cruise and DON'T buy the drink package. Afterwards, add up how much you spent on drinks. If you would have saved money with the package, you can buy it for the rest of your life. But I truly believe that having it strongly encourages people to drink more than they would if they were buying drinks one at a time.
Not necessarily if you don't cruise often and want to enjoy yourself. They run sales on the packages too. You may only end up a little under or breaking even but it can add up quick with beverages plus tips.
You say that like it’s a bad thing :)
Don’t buy a drink package. Stay healthy. Moderation.
My husband and I never get the internet package. Honestly, we've never missed it. That's just us. Not gonna lie, we do often enjoy a port day onboard. On new itineraries, we almost always book an excursion or plan something in port on our own. You're absolutely right about considering the weather and time of year before booking a cruise excursion. We tend to plan and book cruises way in advance. Our travel agent makes it easy and always finds what we consider the best deals. We have friends that never book specialty restaurants because they don't want to pay extra. Their rationale is that the food in the MDR and Windjammer are just as good. We almost always book at least one specialty restaurant and have never regretted it. The meal is always exceptional and the atmosphere intimate. We have been in many different stateroom classes. What we book depends on our budget and the itinerary. Most times we book a balcony stateroom. As we've gotten older, we tend to book a balcony most times. We hit Diamond level last year. We no longer purchase the drink package primarily for this reason. Does walking through the gym count as going to the gym??
Same here. It’s kind of nice disconnecting, at least for me
Wow, this was an EXCELLENT video, and I agree with all of your tips.
The only thing I would add, and this tip is only for introverted people who need consistency, *NEVER get My Time Dining.* You know yourself. And you know the usual times you get hungry and what types of entertainment you want to do in the evening. If what you like doing tends to be in the 7-9pm range, then sign up for 5pm or 6pm (whichever RCCL does). If you don't like late night events, then the later 8pm dinner might be good for you. But loads of people told me to choose My Time Dining and it was horrible. Waiting for a table, always sitting in a different section, it was terrible.
This is interesting. I'm an introvert and would hate dining at the same table at the same time with the same people. Wouldn't mind waiting and being in a different section in each night. Vive la difference!
So…this guy is an extrovert. I love staying onboard and I always find something to do on port days, it’s far more calming and relaxing. I have about two to three alcoholic drinks a day, so I’m not paying for up to 15 per day in a package. Who packs a poofy dress? I’ve never met anyone who’s done that. I totally agree about the cheapest cabin, though. I’m on vacation, and don’t do more than two cruises per year, I want a very good cabin. Since I cruise solo, I stopped bringing magnets and such because I’m fine, not a lot of clutter. Anything I can reserve ahead of the cruise, I do, so I agree that never wait to get onboard to do anything. Happy Cruising! 😊🎉
Admit to being odd man out - don't buy internet (not necessary for work or family at this point), do not buy a drink package as we average a drink pre dinner and a morning coffee ( drink water from the ship and fill my water bottle), cabin choice is based on specific cruise and whether we will use a balcony or sleep great in an interior. Everyone should create the trip that suits them best.
Plan to "max out" the drink plan sounds great at home... Not so much on the ship. You get sick, throw up, have a miserable night of the bed spins, and as a bonus are hung over the next day for your excursion!
exactly!!
We used to book smaller cabins when we first started cruising and as the years went by we started booking ocean view cabins then balcony cabins and now in our seventies we generally book jr suites or above depending on what’s available! Frankly as we got older we tended to spend more time in our cabin so we decided to book bigger cabins!
I've only done I terror with generally 4 of us. This last one we only had 2 per cabin. It was nice.
Interior...
When in the Caribbean we seldom get off the ship unless it's just to wander around in the port. We've been on many cruises and after a while all the ports are the same. I'm convinced that a container ship leaves China loaded with identical contents in each container, then they drop a couple at each port. They have people in the back rooms putting "Jaimaica" or "Cozumel" or any other island on each item then distributing them to all of the seller booths. By all means if you are somewhere you've never been see if you can get an overview trip and note what you may want to do next time. But realize even then a banana plantation is a banana plantation. We almost always choose based on ship not itinerary. Exceptions are US coastal cruises, there's nothing like being able to rent a car from Enterprise and driving the Pacific coast yourself, or even visiting friends/relatives that you don't get to see. Of course we also usually book inside cabins and we don't drink much so we on't get a package. Last cruise we prepaid gratuities and our end of voyage charge was $0. Some say cheap, some say frugal, say great, let's book another!
Totally agree. We've been to most of the islands in the Caribbean several times and we've also been on many awful shore excursions. Our last cruise, seven day Western, we never got off. Just the length of the pier to get from the ship to the shopping area or taxi stand was daunting, and there was no type of transportation available for that initial journey.
Cruise ship excursions are horrifically expensive. When we reached a port, and stepped outside the ship, there were a line up of independent shore excursions waiting outside the ship ready to take us for an excursion, and these were a fraction (say half) of what the cruise ship excursions cost.
Here's my personal take on the drink package... RCL requires that every person in your stateroom over the age of 21 gets the same alcohol package. Even if you get the more expensive drinks ($14 ea) you have to drink 6 drinks every day of your cruise to justify that expense (unless you get the package on a really great deal.) So, for a couple, that equates to 12 drinks a day between the 2 of you. Now, if you are in port for 4 days of a 7 night cruise, I think drinking 6 $14 drinks from dinner to bedtime EVERY DAY is quite a bit. On sea days, you might hit that 6 drink minimum relatively easily. But, are you going to then drink enough to make up for the missed drinks on port days. Keep in mind, that 6 drinks is only if you are drinking the higher priced drinks. If you are drinking a beer, or standard rum and coke, it will take 8-10 of those to get to the $90/day cost of the drink package. Now, with all of that said, I recognize that I am not a drinker, at all. So that 12 drinks a day would have to all fall on my wife, and if she has 4 drinks on a sea day, I'm surprised. I also agree with many of the comments that say they would definitely drink less without the drink package. Let's face it, everyone on a cruise overeats, because it is there, and it is free. The drinks being "there" and "Free" because you already bought the drink package will put you in the same boat. BTW I am sailing in less than 10 days, on my 6th RCCL cruise, I love every bit of it!! Everything else in the video I agree with, except the hot excursions thing. I am a very active person, and I love the more strenuous activities. However, most of my cruising is in February, so the heat is not the same as it will be when I sail next week.
Couldn’t have said it better.
I love Royal Caribbean Blog, but sometimes it’s a little too obviously just an arm of Royal Caribbean. The first 3 suggestions are to do the most expensive add ons even it is seems like a waste of money. 🙄
only 74 more days until we take our very first cruise 🚢 with Royal Caribbean going to Coco Cay.
W
You're going to love it. I just got back from my first trip there and had a blast. Have a great cruise.
58 days for me!
When agost
You’ll love it.
A little over 30 days to go for me. Not my first cruise but it is my best friends first cruise so I’m excited to introduce her to the world or cruising.
I got the drink package on my last cruise and actually didn't even drink any alcohol one day and I still came out ahead because of the other days and the coffee's, sodas, Red bulls, fresh squeezed juices, Powerades, and waters.
Yeah a lot of the arguments against it just target alcohol, but it includes everything and nothing is cheap when youre buying them and adding it all up plus tips.
@@WingMane52and gratuities**
I barely drink at home. Went wild on the ship
I went up the cabin type ladder; staring with inside cabins my first two cruises. The inside cabins were like closets with a bed and bathroom. Never again. Then I moved up to outside , then balcony, and finally I am stuck with (happily) jr suites. I will NOT go back just to save money. As for wi-fi, I am on the PC at home many hrs of the day. But when I crusie there are too many other things to do on ship rather then stare at a PC screen. I typically don't even use all of the free wi-fi I get as a D+ royal cruiser.
Biggest mistake I sometimes make: bring too many clothes. At home I figure I am gonna change clothes every day. In reality on ship I wear the same stuff (except always clean underwear) every day, or wear it again a day or so later.
Do you have any advice for a 1st time cruiser?...... money wise what to avoid..?
@@johnlavery6116 To save money:
- Do NOT purchase all of the photos that the staff will take of you while on the ship and sometimes also at port stops. Take your camera with you and take your won photos all over the ship; ask other passengers and they will gladly take photos for you.
- If you don't have a requirement to have wi-fi while on your crusie, wait until you get to a port stop and find an internet cafe (ask the wait staff as they generally can tell you where there's low cost internet.)
- Skip the specialy restaurants that are generally very pricey, i.e. $25-45 per person. You will not be able to eat all of the free food on ship.
- Book your cruise as early as you can. Cruise prices go up as the cruise date approaches.
-Skip the drink packages as you would have to drink 6 or 7 drinks EVERY day of your cruise for the package to be a bargain. And remember you will be off the ship for 3 or 4 days in port stop so that cuts your on-ship drinking time.
- The crusie line allows you to bring on board with you at the DEPARTURE PORT ONLY 2 bottles of wine (no hard liquor or beer) per cabin, and you can also bring a 6 or 12 pack of your favorite soft drinks. So bring drinks for use in your cabin
-Skip the on-ship spa services as they are generally VERY expensive.
-Remember that you do NOT have to book tours off the ship unless you want to. Many ports in the caribbean you can get a taxi to a beach for a lot less than a ship's tour.
@@edwesby5752 Thank you for taking the time to reply......that is very helpful...and in depth advice.....can i ask you if there were any hiden hiden charges on the final bill,,...and were you charge port fees?....thank you.
Until my last cruise I thought like many people did - that not having internet might even be a good thing, you get to "unplug." Well, we had no WiFi for several days on my last cruise (it was literally turned off). It was then that I discovered just how much we need/use it on a ship aside from the obvious. First, there was a FB group for the cruise and lots of people were meeting & making plans via the group. I booked a private tour with someone who had put it out on the FB. Suddenly we had no way to communicate. Second, the preferred method of communication among the people on the ship was WhatsApp. We'd make dinner arrangements, plan shows, excursions, etc. A friend's son lost his key and was locked out of his room and for hours he and his mom could not connect with each other. Until we didn't have the ability to chat via FB and WhatsApp I never would have thought how much we needed it.
Item #2 is certainly valid as long as you don’t have any mobility limitations. Not many cruise lines have excursions for folks that have trouble walking.
All these cruise tips were something we actually utilize except for the gym tip. We literally made sure we are at the gym every day strictly because of the drink package that we purchased 😂 I had to earn all of those drinks before I started each day 😂.
It's a vacation! Enjoy yourself without worrying about calories lol
@@WingMane52 I know right!? but I can’t help myself lol
I think ? It was your tip to pay attention to sales offered and rebook or cancel if options go down in price ! Fourth of July sale by RC just came up and I cancelled my three excursions and rebooked them … saved about 100 ! Great tip ! Well worth the hassle of cancelling and rebooking! Easy peasy ! Glenda !
My wife and I always book the cheapest cabin we can find. Interior is fine for the two of us, we don't spend much time there anyway, saving money allows us to cruise twice as much. We LOVE having a balcony to sit on in the mornings, or late evening before going to bed, but, we'll make that sacrifice to be able to cruise more.
Almost every "cruise tip" involves spending more money on your cruise... 🤣
The Deluxe Drink package value depends depends on your C&A status. Diamond status gets 4 $14 drink vouchers, D+ 5. So a cheaper non-alcoholic drink package works, even if you drink a couple more alcoholic drinks than your allowance on occasion , which is easy to do on cruise days. Also, I drink around a gallon bottled water a day. So that alone more than pays for the Refreshment Package. 😎
That's a great point. There are a lot of factors to consider such as the crown and anchor status as you point out and how much one will drink in terms of alcohol above not alcohol which is the price difference you should look at compared to the refreshment package. Also whether or not you plan on drinking mostly beers at 8 bucks a piece or mixed drinks at 14 bucks a piece.
I totally agree! I'm Diamond, but I drink like a fish on cruises. So, last week on the Indep I decided to check out my totals and do the math. Yep, even with 4 free drinks, it was still worth me getting the Deluxe package! Ooof. Also, I had a Gold cabin mate... but my favorite thing about the drink package is not having to sign the receipt every time. I feel like I save hours not doing that ;) My mom is D+, doesn't drink much and she gets annoyed at the free drink "ticket" process. So, everyone needs to do the math on their own personal drinking habits, there is no one size fits all response.
This is one of your better info and tips videos. But, do you really buy the drink package when you are Diamond Plus, or Pinnacle now? My wife and I are fine with the 4 free drinks a day with our Diamond Perks. And we don't drink soda at all (unless rum is with it)
Wifi - Fully agree, get it, get it before the cruise and save money that way.
Excursions - In SAFE ports, this is all well and good if you love to explore just be responsible and plan to be back well before you're supposed to be. Buy yourself the time to run into unexpected issues.
Drink packages - While I agree that people may drink differently while on vacation. You have to consider who all is traveling with you, since they arent a per person only expense. Normally, I had maybe a drink or two a day... other than that it was just coffee, tea and soda. Traveling with my partner,,,, he tends to get more out of the package than I would and I find myself drinking a little more to get something out of the package. But by the time I factor in the difference in cost between the soda/coffee/bottled water packages.... just doing the aycd package.... just makes sense anymore.
New bookings - fully agree
Gymming - This one is definitely easieir said than done. Unless you are REALLY conveniently located near the gym, most aren't going to want to go through the effort. I'd sacrifice some classes/training to have a few smaller gyms throughout the ship.
Cabin type - Again, fully agree. Depending on the cruise, it may be worth going with an inside cabin. But often, a balcony or even mini-suite will make the cruise that much more enjoyable. We're all going to get peopled out, so being able to go back to your cabin, sit on a couch (not on your bed) to read, watch tv, or just scroll through FB in silence will just make it that much more worth it; Same for not being on top of your cruise partner(s) the entire time. This is also another instance to do your research on where your cabin is located and pick the exact cabin you want. Saving a few bucks with a 'guaranteed' state room is not worth it in my eyes. I personally have no motion sickness issues, so I can be content just about anywhere... as long as it's quiet and I'm getting what I knowingly paid for.
Hah, the gym routine tip was totally me on my first cruise some 20 years ago. I saw where the gym was, but never stepped foot in it the entire time. On the positive side, dont beat yourself up about it if you had a physically active cruise. Walking, hiking, swimming, snorkeling all definitely made up for a lot of the missed gym routines, though it was not enough to overcome my weight scale after the cruise. lol
Where did you snorkel, if I may ask?
I'm going to be snorkeling Nov 1 in Ensenada.
RCCL Navigator OTS out of Los Angeles port.
@@lynneshapiro3248 I snorkeled in Roatan, though this was over 20 years ago, at that time it was one of the stops on my cruise. It was one of my best memories from the cruise actually.
Drink packages make sense for those who love specialty coffees and or don’t have status, but with 4 drinks per day with diamond status, my husband and I find we don’t use them all some days and go over on only a couple of days. So no drink package for us.
Carrying around a large and heavy DSLR camera around with you. Especially on port days. Bad idea. Your phone is good enough. Save the hassle.
I used to get ocean view cabins and always the deluxe drink package when a newer cruiser with Royal Caribbean. My experience with having a balcony for the first time on a cruise to Alaska has changed my perspective and I am now one of those who get a balcony or jr suite as these provide a very enhanced vacation from my point of view. I now get the Refreshment drink package after being able to get free drinks when reaching Diamond status. These extras are a personal choice as everyone needs to evaluate what is truly important and cost effective for their vacation. The internet is another item I always get as I need to be able to receive messages while away via email for emergency purposes and also just to be able to connect with the groups for group activities I've joined. You never know what might be happening while away and may need to receive a message. It's a small cost also for one device.
To me, a drink package is something that will "pay for itself" only if I get a drink package.
What I mean is that if I don't get a drink package, then I'll be more conservative with my drinking onboard, take advantage of the carry-on wine policy, and maybe indulge more when I'm off the ship at a port.
And as someone who goes to the gym 3 times a week, I will say that the hardest part of going to the gym... is going to the gym. And to be honest - on a cruise, I will likely have zero motivation to go. But I'll bring my shoes, just in case.
The point about staying on the ship on a port day is quite appealing to me for our May 2024 cruise. Extreme heat and excursions NOPE. Not really into the excursions anyway.
So much is changing on Cococay that the day passes to Coco Beach I bought may be a mistake. As far as cabin choice: we started with an ocean view deck 2 that we are upgrading (a guaranteed? cabin - we’ll see how that works out - fingers crossed). I still wonder about drink pkgs tho. I typically don’t drink alcohol, we don’t drink anything other than water coffee tea sparkling water daily. So, I don’t think a beverage pkg is available that is worth it for us 🤔
Always great info and strategies !!
I think they have non-alcoholic drink pkgs :)
@@RedRoseSeptember22 I did see them. We just don’t consume enough to make it worth the price to us.
@@heatherknowles3124 if you drink any specialty coffees or prefer bottled water it might be worth it to get the refreshment package. However if you are good with the tap water and regular coffee then absolutely not worth spending the money on it for yourself. Cruising really is individualized and what's worth it for one person may not be worth it for someone else. Hope your cabin works out.
@@TyreeTravels I would imagine the coffee is made with the same water as the "tap" on the ship generally. But I would prefer bottled water and there is a reasonable option for that. Still have to consult my sister/cabin mate to see what she wants to do. :)
I always enjoy the refresher package. The ease of water bottles and then specialty non alcohol drinks with meals is well worth it to me
Since I only drink 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks per day, I buy the refreshment package. That way I get all the mocktails, bottled waters, specialty coffees, fresh juice, etc. And I really don't spend much at all on the alcoholic drinks I get.
“Settling arguments with your spouse” 🤣🤣🤣 Guilty🖐️
I will be sailing on Oasis of the Seas in a few weeks and there is a wifi deal for 25% off each additional device. This means that buying wifi for 1 guest with 4 devices is cheaper than buying wifi for 4 guests for 1 device. I was wondering how logging into the wifi works on the ship and if other guests can use the wifi purchased for one guest with multiple devices. Thank you!
Drinks packages are a necessity! If you dont imbibe in alcohol, get the full refreshment pass. All the fancy drinks without the alcohol.
I have never bought the wifi package, however, I have gotten international day pass for when I am at port to use my phone, $10 on days you use it. To me, that's worth it. I also don't drink enough to actually get the drink package. I am simple person, meaning I drink basic coffee with cream, tea or water. I might have a glass of wine at dinner or cocktail here or there but never ever enough cover 1 day of the drink package, let alone a whole week. I do agree with getting off at port, even to just walk around or visit some shops. I have never gotten the cheapest room, I like my balcony. Everyone is different, so best to know yourself and be realistic. If you don't visit the gym a lot at home, you probably not going to visit it on a cruise. A tip for ladies about wearing a dress on the ship or even at port where it can be windy is to wear a pair of shorts under, so you don't have to worry if it flies up.
We’re old (early 70s) so comfort and quality are most important. We book a suite. Owner Suites and larger are almost like you never left home. And on Oasis-class breakfast and lunch in Coastal Kitchen is better and much more enjoyable than Windjammer (aka The Trough) or the MDR. We also get the UDP and eat upscale every night and sometimes for lunch.
I hit the gym every day on my sailing two weeks ago. But, it was difficult making it out there after a few days of indulging and sun soaking!
I don’t drink differently on vacation than not. I rarely drink. I know an alcohol package isn’t worth it for me. Last year when I went on a cruise, I had a grand total of 1 alcoholic drink over the course of a 7 night cruise, despite having an alcohol package.
The refreshment package would probably be a better option for you if you like soda, specialty coffees, bottled water, Powerades, Red bulls, and fresh squeezed juices.
"Settling an argument with your spouse." 😆🤣😆
Hello Matt we watch your videos all the time love the ship tours. Thoughts on internet packages drink packages etc. Everyone's needs are different if you are a ytube vloger yes part of your business on line needed, drinks same if you drink lots yes get a package cgeaper for you. we don't drink alcohol at all I'm allergic and without that added cost we save on our cruises better cabins instead. Tours etc same what you want out of your cruise up to your individual needs and tastes. We just got off of Ovation of the seas and noticed food in dining room a little bit lack luster. The butter was even replaced with a thing they called hybrid spread a mix of buttermilk and vegetable oil not good maybe cheaper but the bread service not as good. Little off topic but in the end choices are up to you and what you like in a quality cruise for yourself.
If we go on a Carribbean cruise then we'll do so in winter time lol, just like we'd do an Alaskan cruise in summer :D
Disagree with almost all of these lol for example the cabin. I always book the cheapest because most time is spent elsewhere. I don’t book a cruise to stay in the room. Got a large balcony sweet for a 2 week cruise once spent the first two mornings on it then never used it again. Save money spend it on excursions or elsewhere.
I just used 4g. As a European in Europe, roaming is free. To avoid the extra charge of cellular at sea, I set the Network choice to manual, and only selected the providers from shore. A little tricky perhaps on sea days, but as long as I was within about 100 km to shore, and on the right side of the ship, I had better internet access than the poor wifi could provide. I only enabled wifi when I needed to use their app.
Great video as usual but you can't sell me on a drink package. Especially when everyone in your cabin has to buy one. I don't drink heavy at home and I'm not going to drink much more on vacation.
Ship breezes + poofy dress -> Good way to get that iconic Marilyn Monroe photo.
Good stuff, but (for most of us) something’s gotta give. For me that’s getting the cheapest cabin. Which frees up money to buy the Wi-Fi, the drinks package, to go into port and inevitably spend money etc.
Taking your own bags off at disembarkation. We thought we’d do that once but so did hundreds of others and the lifts were full going past our floor for ages. We ended up going up and then coming down to disembark.
First! Great content, Matt 💪🏻
when you said evie, you scared the shit out of me 💀
Nice video, Matt! Thanks for sharing. Please allow me to add my contribution. I am a stocks market enthusiast, so I decided to open a bank account in the USA (I am Brazilian) in order to buy 100 shares of RCCL at NYSE, so that I could get US$ 100 of on-board credit on most of my cruises. That sounded good at first because I plan to cruise often (at least thrice a year). Stock prices may be highly volatile, though, and without WiFi it would be impossible to sell them if they started plummeting, so I would be worried about them and unable to enjoy the cruise. Hence, I decided to sell most of them and rebuy them when they get cheaper. I hope that helps others.
I’m am disabled and there are only a few excursions that I can take. I enjoy staying in the port area and shopping there
I'm not disabled, but agree with you 💯. Especially ports you have been to multiple times.
You are absolutely right when you talked about the cabin choice. Is there any truth to if you get a "Star" suite, all guests will have the drink package and wifi ?
We don't get the wifi. T-mobile's service includes the Caribbean and if we need to check something, we'll just wait until we get to port and are off the ship's network. We do get off at a port and just walk around the port a bit but after experiencing Falmouth, we aren't leaving a port again. The other issues are meh excepting the cabin. We spend very little time in our cabin except to change or sleep so for us there's no point in an expensive cabin. In the end, it's all personal preference and experience. The more you cruise, the more you learn, the more you adjust, the more fun you have.
Even if you don’t have t-mobile there are inevitably bars in every port with free wi-fi. Yet another reason to get off the ship in every port.
Bring an over-the-door shoe organizer for all your stuff. People love to give this tip for some reason. It just gets in the way. Better advice: Bring less stuff so you don’t need an organizer.
Great video! Regarding your last tip, how do you feel about the solo cabin space for a potential solo cruiser? I've never been in one, but I'm planning to.
Hi, I had a solo cabin on my very first cruise and I haven't done it since. It was okay but I had really no desire to spend any time in it. On the other hand, I've had balcony rooms that I hardly spent time in, either, and had second thoughts about it. It really comes down to how much time you expect to be in your room.
I do a lot of oil cruises. I’ve noticed that solocabins can be just as expensive as a basic inside guarantee cabin,if not more. However,on some ships there is a special lounge just for the solo cabins. If your ship has that, definitely get the solo as you can meet a lot of great people in the lounge, on special activities, etc.
Hey Matt! I just heard about a harbor strike in Canada that's going to start on 1st of July and might last the entire rest of the season, and possibly further, for the Alaska Cruises for 2023! Have you heard about it?
Don, the guy that does the other Cruise blog, did, so Matt will probably be on it soon. This could wipe out my Alaska Cruse set for the third week in July. Trip Insurence!
Going to Aruba for next cruise in September. Saw that RCL offered excursion I really like but it has been sold out ( catamaran and snorkel) Do I contact the company doing the excursion to see if they have open spots? Take my chances more will open up via the cruise? Any advice? It would be for 5 people.
I do not buy drink packages any longer! I believe royal has gotten out of hand for drink package pricing! We currently have two royal cruises booked. Package on voyager is $100 a day! Our sailing on Icon is $115! That's rediculous!! I would need to stay drunk most of the time to just break even. And, why are the different from ship to ship, and sailing to sailing? I feel like royal is just trying to stick it to me with what they charge for a drink package. I just refuse to buy a package on royal anymore. Why should i, when I don't drink that much. I can sail on carnival (1 booked now), and buy a drink package for $59.99!!!! Any ship, any sailing. Royal can keep their drink package!
Is it necessary to print out my check-in papers or seapass in 2023 or can I use the digital seapass via the app on my phone?
29 days to Serenade of The Seas from Tampa, 373 days to Wonder Of The Seas from Port Canaveral, and trying to figure what to book in the middle of these 2?
Yep! Can't live without my internet access and I have way too much fomo to ever stay onboard.
7 more daysss for my first cruise on harmony of the seas ‼️😻
WOW where was that at 2:40 with that cool huge waterfall??
I went to the gym every day. It is great to get exercise to balance out the bad eating.
My comment would be, pack fewer clothes than you think you need. You can always do a load in the laundrette if needed. If this keeps you from bringing an additional suitcase, awesome!
There is no launderette on a Royal Caribbean ship. You have to pay for laundry service. I’ll take more clothes and be sure I have enough to cover my trip.
Wow, that sucks. Carnival and Norwegian have Laundrettes.@@cynthiadowling6783
Recently booked on Princess for October. They also have Laundromats. Sounds like RC wants to maximize their revenue....
Mostly everthing you said is more money for royal carribean.. we work to save for the cruise and then get hit with very costly drink packages and wifi. Wifi cost at home for 7.days is 10 times cheaper.. we all.are on Vacation but were all are not rich
Tell me the Marilyn Monroe thing didn't happen to the lady with the poofy dress
My husband doesn't drink at all, and I am a light drinker. I have a glass of wine with dinner and maybe a cocktail in the evening lSo we never get the drink package.
Does anyone know if I need to purchase WiFi to look at the Royal Caribbean app?
Also, is there any messaging within the app without WiFi to other parties?
I’ve only been on Disney cruise line and they had a messaging app within the app without WiFi and we easily messaged each other in that app and didn’t need a WiFi package.
I don’t want a WiFi package if I don’t have it is there a way to communicate with your party on board?
No need to buy wifi to use the app, and the app has messaging in it
Yeah but what if you don’t drink at all then there’s no point in buying the package. So yes I can see how that could work for some people but not for all.
Sorry, the deluxe drink package is way too expensive for us. No way will we drink $1300 worth!!!
I love your videos, very informative. But, omg, we don’t have the same budget!! I feel like you always insist that spending this and that is so much worth it. The drinking package is more like 6-7 drinks a day to benefit from it, the internet package is ridiculously price for a single day… I know cruising isn’t cheap, but it’s not necessary to splurge so much to have a great time.
I had the deluxe drink package on my last cruise. Even though I could get all the drinks, including bottled water, I wanted, I thought it would be a good idea to buy the 24 pack of bottled water. That way, I would have water ready for me each day and night, and I wouldn’t have to ask the bartender for water. I purchased it and when I got to my cabin there was a case (24 pack) of water. I think I may have drank 5 bottles of water that whole week. Even though it was a good idea in theory, in reality it was clearly was a waste of money.
With all the money people pay to cruise, some type of WiFi should be included in the price, so no thanks.
Drink packages are wayyyy too much! I'm not into drinking like that.
I have never had the desire to get on the internet while on a cruise. I thought it was a bit strange and sad to see couples glued to their phones in the dining room or by the pool.
I like my vacation to be more fun and comfortable than at home. Internet and drinks ? I have those at home, so why I inconvenience myself without internet and drinks when on vacation ? Better stay at home then. One or two Specialty restaurants will make my day, enjoying great food and service.
Book your cruise ship excursions early because the good ones book out quickly.
About the next cruise thing, who books a whole vacation on a whim?
I’m surprised you didn’t add the key on this video 😂
You’re right!
I would happily hit the gym every morning if it opened earlier. I am awake at 3:30 or 4:00 every day, but the gym didn't open until 6:00. I am well into my day by then.
what time do you go to sleep? insomniac here so im impressed with your wake schedule
@@leaveittolefty I only need five or six hours of sleep on a regular basis. I have always been an early to bed early to rise person.
Drink package makes sense on short cruises, but 7+ days…I don’t think so.
Been on 15 cruises, never bought internet. Its completely not necessary. I go on cruises to disconnect. Also never bought a drink package. Also completely unnecessary and lots of excess calories you don't need.
It will be like the titanic one day
Thinking that Coco Cay will be a bargain. Stay on the ship or don't go on a cruise with this aforementioned place on the itinerary. It's boring as well as expensive. A person can spend less and have more fun in a regular port. (my opinion)
My internet didn't work bummer
Wish I have Hundreds If Not Thousands to spend on Top of the cruise price to enjoy a cruise. What ever happened to $100.00 per day per person for Truly enjoyable cruise. I guess they're gone Forever 😢.
Naw man, I like not having the internet while on a ship. Being cut off from the world is nice while on vacation.
I don't agree with some of these. First, you can live without wifi. The ship will give you access to the internet for things like communicating with family on board or accessing the app, but usually if you are economizing then I would dump the internet. Unless you flew into the port, you shouldn't really need it for much, and even then you can just get a day pass for that last day of the cruise. Then the drink package...unless you like alcoholic drinks and you are trying to cut cost, I wouldn't bother. You can get free juices in the Windjammer and if you're like me, the free water is more than enough, and just a soda with dinner. My last cruise on Royal, that's what I did. As for the puffy dress...as a guy my experience is limited, but I have known women who have stated they actually hate wearing pants because of the way women's pants are cut and most of them aren't breathable. But I have seen women who will wear them on shore excisions, especially to hot ports of call or even to beaches or water based activities. That dress style was originally designed less for style and more for practicality and was often worn in many of the hotter and humid areas which these cruises take place, and were designed to help them keep cool. In fact, in many traditional outfits from humid regions, both males and females wore "dress like" outfits for decades after colonization often only switching to pants as they were forced onto them, but they have been bringing them back because of they are more comfortable in hotter weather. I have also seen women prefer them on those aforementioned shore excursions because they can wear a bathing suite below them and they are easily removed and replaced and are less likely to become uncomfortable when wet. Its more about knowing when to wear it, and just dealing with those consequences when you do. Also, I've done the gym practically every day one a cruise (prior to COVID, I haven't been to one on my two since). Typically I only didn't because of shore excursions, so while I do agree with what you are saying I also don't agree. But unless the cheapest room on board is a balcony, I am 100% with that thing about the cheapest room on the ship, which is often times a closet next to the engine room.
Bring cash for the casino
So basically buy everything they offer….. gotcha 👎
After watching your channel for several months now I am beginning to wonder why you only concentrate 100% on RCL. Other than defining your channel there may be other questionable influences.
Seriously agree! I think we can all surmise how he affords all those cruises!
1st.
For our next cruise, we are buying wi-if for ONE device. That way we have access but don’t pay extra. We also don’t buy the drinks package because neither of us drinks alcohol or coffee. (I agree, we’re wired). But if we did drink, then an all-inclusive package of drinks, wi-if and tips for both folks us makes sense.
This was my husband and I. We just got off Oasis this morning. We got WiFi for 1 device, and used his phone as a Hotspot for my phone and laptop if I needed to look anything up.
We passed on the alcohol package and settled for the refreshment package. I'm glad we did. We bought 1 cocktail the first day for sail away, and it was so weak, we didn't buy anymore alcoholic drinks for the rest of the cruise.