Forget ginger tablets, use raw ginger. $1 worth of ginger root from your grocery store will last for a 3 week cruise. Use a razor blade and slice off thin slices, suck on it for a while then eat it. Works great!
The Solarium Bistro is an awesome place to eat. It's included, and you can sit inside or out. The Garden Cafe is great too - salads and roast beef sandwiches. There are great places besides the Windjammer and the Dining Room.
Sea days are the best. You will find me by the pool all day. Love the music and watching the goofy contests. If you eat later, the windjammer is less crowded but it gets really crowded at peak meal times.
My quick thought on a "No frills" cruise. A no frills cruise would be like flying on Spirit airlines. You will get to your destination but there will be a few things that would make your cruise a little more enjoyable that you will have to do without or pay al la carte...pay as you go. In a few situations, depending on how you like to travel, this can save you a few dollars. But many of the nicer things to experience are available with slight upgrades. If you don't drink alcohol, the mixed drink package would be a waste of money. Same for sodas, if you don't care for sodas or juice, the soda package is a waste of money. Water, tea, coffee and some juices and lemonade style beverages are usually available at no charge. The state room experience is similar and subjective. I recently did a solo back to back cruise and chose an interior cabin with no window for both cruises. Truth be told, I was hoping my bid to Royal Up to a balcony would be accepted. It was a popular cruise and I don't think there were many cancellations or no shows. Being alone in an interior cabin was fine. Would have been a bit cumbersome if I had to share it with another person, but no real problem. I liked that I slept very well because without a window, it was like having sensory deprivation. I was not very happy about not knowing what time of day it was and what the weather was like as I would with a window or a balcony. Sure, I turned on the TV and viewed the outside camera views, but for me it was not the same as having a window or a balcony. As I noted, all these experiences are very subjective depending on each person. If my only options were to cruise no frills or not cruise at all, I would cruise no frills. When I am Blessed and have the resources to travel and cruise the way I prefer, I will add a few bells and whistles to my package. I try to watch the prices of the packages and excursions but I also know that I am going to have to spend some money to travel and cruise the way I prefer. BTW, I flew Spirit once...and unless they are the only airline available and all I need to travel with is my shaving kit, I will never fly Spirit again. Not a sermon. Fair winds and following seas!
Your idea of checking the Cruise Compass the night BEFORE is great1 I hadn't thought of that!!! It was mentioned by another UA-camr cruiser that you can access the ship's wifi and app in the Terminal before boarding! ! She was wondering why the fitness activities were all taken and some other cruisers mentioned about reserving them while in the Terminal! I don't know if it'd work with RCCL, but hey! give it a shot! (She was going on a Virgin cruise and found this out)
I'm really white so I get sunburn at the drop of a hat so I have aloe with lidocaine. The lidocaine will kill the pain. You can get it at Walmart for less than 5$. Really worth the investment.
LOL! Don't be a hater! We might be surprised at how far, or rather, at how little our fare pays for when you break it down over a 7 day period, for all inclusive service, meals, cabin service, fuel, engine maintenance, and a crew that is working on service and safety 24 hours each day. When you spread out your fare per person with that overhead, you might be surprised that what is big money to us as individuals, may barely be a drop in that huge bucket of overhead. So enjoy your "complementary" swag. Not a sermon.
All complementary means in this case is you don't pay any extra. We all know how cruise lines like to nickel and dime for just about everything once you get onboard with a captive audience.
We rarely eat at Windjammer anymore. I think we were put off with some of the passengers’ hygiene practices (tongs being left back on the actual food after being touched for example), we raised this on one of our sailings as it was really bad and that was on one of the first sailings when the cruising industry was just recovering from Covid. We enjoy the main dining room breakfast these days! French toast and Egg’s Benedict for the win!
@julieb7882 And who does that? So few people that I never worry about it. I'm disgusted more by people not washing their hands after using the bathroom. Never got sick after eating from a buffet, and I've done it for years. The ships' buffets that I've been on have been very clean.
I enjoy your blogs, thank you. However, just want to make you aware, I took your advice to book early for a cruise, New Zealand. Wasn’t cheap but remembered what you said about the price promise. Now the cost for a balcony has dropped by £400 ($500), so big saving. Phoned RC, booked direct, and was told the price promise does not apply for cruises booked in the UK. Why should we be treated differently and you better warn non US not to just book early, as in my case means having to pay far more.
I just don't like to order room service. We did once, the eggs were cold, the fruit not ripe. Ended up going to the Jammer. My DIL orders a pot of coffee and pastries every morning! That seems to work out well. Maybe it depends on what you order
@@janebeville7446 You should order hard boiled eggs, frest fruit like banana, apple, orange, and/or a fruit plate has been good for us. Not much they can do to mess up if you order bacon. Orange juice was always good, so was hot tea.
Never been seasick even on a small fishing boat in pretty rough water. I know it can be bad though so that’s one to remember for those that do get motion sickness. Consider specialty restaurants at lunch on sea days too. Usually not busy and about half the price of dinner for a pretty similar experience. Menu is usually smaller but a 9oz filet is the same at lunch and dinner.
Are you able to clarify your comment about the specialty restaurant reservations? You can make reservations on the cruise planner ahead of time if you do not have a dining package but if you do then you have to wait until you're on board to do that?
@@tduck828 so it seems like they would let those buying a dining package make their reservations FIRST. Instead, they can't make reservations until they get on the ship. I've already made the specialty dining reservations I want on the day and time that I want through my cruise planner because I didn't buy the package.
Was wondering if I were to buy walkie talkies to use off the ship when at ports would they work. I'm not planning on buying roaming data on my phone plan but I will have wifi to use on the boat but was wondering for when I'm off the boat. Would you happen to know??
I was just on vision of the seas. Sadly there weren't many options for breakfast and ALL of the food places did not open until 7am??? That's veryyyyy late. As evidenced by the giant line to get in, others felt the same way!
Hello! I was on Vision for 2 weeks in May! May 1 through the 20th! The Vision, Enchantment and I think one other are the smallest ships in the RCL fleet. The other larger ships have more dining options than we had. Sadly, that is a trade off when cruising on the smaller ships. Did you spend much time on Deck 9?
Of course, but chair hogs were in full force the entire time! I tried to watch a movie but the screen was awful and distorted. It made me sick to watch. The solarium was hot and stuffy with very slick floor most days.
Could you make a video/halfway to a challenge that is it worth it to min-max your cruise? So the "challenge" would be that you try to pay the minimum amount possible so no speciality restaurants (they cost extra, right?), no activities that cost extra and go on your own when in port. I don't know what kinds of drinks you have access to without a drinks package (does the buffet have free drinks?) so it would be worth considering whether going without a drinks package would fit the challenge. And at the end reflect on what you missed and cannot live without, were you bored since you presumably didn't have many shows to choose from (I'd imagine many of them cost extra) and what did you do in the meantime? Something you have never tried before? Maybe you'll find yourself playing deck games, just lounging around watching the scenery or even watching the cabin television. And then you could try the reverse and stuff everything possible into a single cruise, as though free time is a curse word. Will it stress you out? Will the cruise even be enjoyable anymore? And what was there simply not enough time to do?
My quick thought on a "No frills" cruise. A no frills cruise would be like flying on Spirit airlines. You will get to your destination but there will be a few things that would make your cruise a little more enjoyable that you will have to do without or pay al la carte...pay as you go. In a few situations, depending on how you like to travel, this can save you a few dollars. But many of the nicer things to experience are available with slight upgrades. If you don't drink alcohol, the mixed drink package would be a waste of money. Same for sodas, if you don't care for sodas or juice, the soda package is a waste of money. Water, tea, coffee and some juices and lemonade style beverages are usually available at no charge. The state room experience is similar and subjective. I recently did a solo back to back cruise and chose an interior cabin with no window for both cruises. Truth be told, I was hoping my bid to Royal Up to a balcony would be accepted. It was a popular cruise and I don't think there were many cancellations or no shows. Being alone in an interior cabin was fine. Would have been a bit cumbersome if I had to share it with another person, but no real problem. I liked that I slept very well because without a window, it was like having sensory deprivation. I was not very happy about not knowing what time of day it was and what the weather was like as I would with a window or a balcony. Sure, I turned on the TV and viewed the outside camera views, but for me it was not the same as having a window or a balcony. As I noted, all these experiences are very subjective depending on each person. If my only options were to cruise no frills or not cruise at all, I would cruise no frills. When I am Blessed and have the resources to travel and cruise the way I prefer, I will add a few bells and whistles to my package. I try to watch the prices of the packages and excursions but I also know that I am going to have to spend some money to travel and cruise the way I prefer. BTW, I flew Spirit once...and unless they are the only airline available and all I need to travel with is my shaving kit, I will never fly Spirit again. Not a sermon. Fair winds and following seas!
Jesus Christ my guy. Most things are free on a cruise. Now I’m wondering what you spend all of your time doing that you’ve never noticed all of the free stuff.
Of course you could just avoid the spa like the plague and not have the hard sell Elemis lecture that is GUARANTEED to come at the end of your session!
Forget ginger tablets, use raw ginger. $1 worth of ginger root from your grocery store will last for a 3 week cruise. Use a razor blade and slice off thin slices, suck on it for a while then eat it. Works great!
The thumbnail says these are the worst mistakes to avoid. So....What are the best ones to avoid?
Woke up early every day to watch sunrise. Great pictures.
I’ve been impressed on days I wake up before sunrise. I head to the lido deck and watch. Sunsets are amazing also.
The Solarium Bistro is an awesome place to eat. It's included, and you can sit inside or out. The Garden Cafe is great too - salads and roast beef sandwiches. There are great places besides the Windjammer and the Dining Room.
The Solarium is the hidden gem many people don’t even know it exists
Sea days are the best. You will find me by the pool all day. Love the music and watching the goofy contests. If you eat later, the windjammer is less crowded but it gets really crowded at peak meal times.
My quick thought on a "No frills" cruise. A no frills cruise would be like flying on Spirit airlines. You will get to your destination but there will be a few things that would make your cruise a little more enjoyable that you will have to do without or pay al la carte...pay as you go. In a few situations, depending on how you like to travel, this can save you a few dollars. But many of the nicer things to experience are available with slight upgrades.
If you don't drink alcohol, the mixed drink package would be a waste of money. Same for sodas, if you don't care for sodas or juice, the soda package is a waste of money. Water, tea, coffee and some juices and lemonade style beverages are usually available at no charge.
The state room experience is similar and subjective. I recently did a solo back to back cruise and chose an interior cabin with no window for both cruises. Truth be told, I was hoping my bid to Royal Up to a balcony would be accepted. It was a popular cruise and I don't think there were many cancellations or no shows. Being alone in an interior cabin was fine. Would have been a bit cumbersome if I had to share it with another person, but no real problem. I liked that I slept very well because without a window, it was like having sensory deprivation. I was not very happy about not knowing what time of day it was and what the weather was like as I would with a window or a balcony. Sure, I turned on the TV and viewed the outside camera views, but for me it was not the same as having a window or a balcony.
As I noted, all these experiences are very subjective depending on each person. If my only options were to cruise no frills or not cruise at all, I would cruise no frills. When I am Blessed and have the resources to travel and cruise the way I prefer, I will add a few bells and whistles to my package. I try to watch the prices of the packages and excursions but I also know that I am going to have to spend some money to travel and cruise the way I prefer.
BTW, I flew Spirit once...and unless they are the only airline available and all I need to travel with is my shaving kit, I will never fly Spirit again. Not a sermon. Fair winds and following seas!
Your idea of checking the Cruise Compass the night BEFORE is great1 I hadn't thought of that!!!
It was mentioned by another UA-camr cruiser that you can access the ship's wifi and app in the Terminal before boarding! ! She was wondering why the fitness activities were all taken and some other cruisers mentioned about reserving them while in the Terminal! I don't know if it'd work with RCCL, but hey! give it a shot! (She was going on a Virgin cruise and found this out)
You can reserve in terminal before getting on the ship for RC for sure
i think a mistake is not going to the solarium bistro. it’s pretty decently empty there for breakfast :)
I'm really white so I get sunburn at the drop of a hat so I have aloe with lidocaine. The lidocaine will kill the pain. You can get it at Walmart for less than 5$. Really worth the investment.
Great Advice as always
I so hate the word "complementary" as if we are not paying for all of this with our fare.
LOL! Don't be a hater! We might be surprised at how far, or rather, at how little our fare pays for when you break it down over a 7 day period, for all inclusive service, meals, cabin service, fuel, engine maintenance, and a crew that is working on service and safety 24 hours each day. When you spread out your fare per person with that overhead, you might be surprised that what is big money to us as individuals, may barely be a drop in that huge bucket of overhead. So enjoy your "complementary" swag. Not a sermon.
I’ll bet you whine about everything.
All complementary means in this case is you don't pay any extra. We all know how cruise lines like to nickel and dime for just about everything once you get onboard with a captive audience.
I'd prefer "included" but as long as we know what is meant😊
HAHAHAHA it makes me feel good shh
Lots of great tips
We rarely eat at Windjammer anymore. I think we were put off with some of the passengers’ hygiene practices (tongs being left back on the actual food after being touched for example), we raised this on one of our sailings as it was really bad and that was on one of the first sailings when the cruising industry was just recovering from Covid. We enjoy the main dining room breakfast these days! French toast and Egg’s Benedict for the win!
You won't die because someone put the tongs on the food. That's what I always do.
So true, but you can get sick from prople licking their sticky fingers and using the tongs. It's gross picking those tongs out of a pan of pasta.
@julieb7882 And who does that? So few people that I never worry about it. I'm disgusted more by people not washing their hands after using the bathroom. Never got sick after eating from a buffet, and I've done it for years. The ships' buffets that I've been on have been very clean.
I enjoy your blogs, thank you. However, just want to make you aware, I took your advice to book early for a cruise, New Zealand. Wasn’t cheap but remembered what you said about the price promise. Now the cost for a balcony has dropped by £400 ($500), so big saving. Phoned RC, booked direct, and was told the price promise does not apply for cruises booked in the UK. Why should we be treated differently and you better warn non US not to just book early, as in my case means having to pay far more.
The price promise in US only applies within 48 hours of the booking
Big fan I’d Johnny Rockets for breakfast, it’s included and a good breakfast.
Not included on all ships.
@@janebeville7446 but when it is, I’m there rather than the PeopleJammer.
@@tnrodgers I would love to have breakfast at JR! We tried when we were on Oasis but the lines were too long. We're on Mariner this next cruise.
Hope soon I can join ....❤
Great tips!
Mostly excited for our "sushi making" class and Izumi. 😂
Thanks for sharing.
Sea day is a great time to order room service breakfast
I just don't like to order room service. We did once, the eggs were cold, the fruit not ripe. Ended up going to the Jammer. My DIL orders a pot of coffee and pastries every morning! That seems to work out well. Maybe it depends on what you order
@@janebeville7446 You should order hard boiled eggs, frest fruit like banana, apple, orange, and/or a fruit plate has been good for us. Not much they can do to mess up if you order bacon. Orange juice was always good, so was hot tea.
Never been seasick even on a small fishing boat in pretty rough water. I know it can be bad though so that’s one to remember for those that do get motion sickness. Consider specialty restaurants at lunch on sea days too. Usually not busy and about half the price of dinner for a pretty similar experience. Menu is usually smaller but a 9oz filet is the same at lunch and dinner.
i LOVE breakfast in the MDR
Omg Liz fell asleep on the chair forsureeeeeee 🤣🤣
Are you able to clarify your comment about the specialty restaurant reservations? You can make reservations on the cruise planner ahead of time if you do not have a dining package but if you do then you have to wait until you're on board to do that?
That’s what he said exactly. Never had the dining package myself though so can’t speak to it directly.
That's correct.
Yes. Seems silly, no? Another reason I won't be getting one.
@jenniferallred9367 cruise lines cater to the ones paying actual full price. I agree though because I would never buy one either
@@tduck828 so it seems like they would let those buying a dining package make their reservations FIRST. Instead, they can't make reservations until they get on the ship. I've already made the specialty dining reservations I want on the day and time that I want through my cruise planner because I didn't buy the package.
❤ vacaciones en mi agenda Royal Carribean ❤
Was wondering if I were to buy walkie talkies to use off the ship when at ports would they work. I'm not planning on buying roaming data on my phone plan but I will have wifi to use on the boat but was wondering for when I'm off the boat. Would you happen to know??
River and lake cruises have no sea days
Hi
Going to the spa, sea day or not, is mistake. It's just a total rip off.
I was just on vision of the seas. Sadly there weren't many options for breakfast and ALL of the food places did not open until 7am??? That's veryyyyy late. As evidenced by the giant line to get in, others felt the same way!
Hello! I was on Vision for 2 weeks in May! May 1 through the 20th! The Vision, Enchantment and I think one other are the smallest ships in the RCL fleet. The other larger ships have more dining options than we had. Sadly, that is a trade off when cruising on the smaller ships.
Did you spend much time on Deck 9?
Of course, but chair hogs were in full force the entire time! I tried to watch a movie but the screen was awful and distorted. It made me sick to watch. The solarium was hot and stuffy with very slick floor most days.
@@tduck828 Well, overall, I hope you had a very nice time! I did! Met some very nice people...which is usually true when cruising.
Who eats before 7AM?? I'm barely getting up by then!!
@@jimroscoviussome people do. To each his own.
Could you make a video/halfway to a challenge that is it worth it to min-max your cruise? So the "challenge" would be that you try to pay the minimum amount possible so no speciality restaurants (they cost extra, right?), no activities that cost extra and go on your own when in port. I don't know what kinds of drinks you have access to without a drinks package (does the buffet have free drinks?) so it would be worth considering whether going without a drinks package would fit the challenge.
And at the end reflect on what you missed and cannot live without, were you bored since you presumably didn't have many shows to choose from (I'd imagine many of them cost extra) and what did you do in the meantime? Something you have never tried before? Maybe you'll find yourself playing deck games, just lounging around watching the scenery or even watching the cabin television.
And then you could try the reverse and stuff everything possible into a single cruise, as though free time is a curse word. Will it stress you out? Will the cruise even be enjoyable anymore? And what was there simply not enough time to do?
Interesting idea!
My quick thought on a "No frills" cruise. A no frills cruise would be like flying on Spirit airlines. You will get to your destination but there will be a few things that would make your cruise a little more enjoyable that you will have to do without or pay al la carte...pay as you go. In a few situations, depending on how you like to travel, this can save you a few dollars. But many of the nicer things to experience are available with slight upgrades.
If you don't drink alcohol, the mixed drink package would be a waste of money. Same for sodas, if you don't care for sodas or juice, the soda package is a waste of money. Water, tea, coffee and some juices and lemonade style beverages are usually available at no charge.
The state room experience is similar and subjective. I recently did a solo back to back cruise and chose an interior cabin with no window for both cruises. Truth be told, I was hoping my bid to Royal Up to a balcony would be accepted. It was a popular cruise and I don't think there were many cancellations or no shows. Being alone in an interior cabin was fine. Would have been a bit cumbersome if I had to share it with another person, but no real problem. I liked that I slept very well because without a window, it was like having sensory deprivation. I was not very happy about not knowing what time of day it was and what the weather was like as I would with a window or a balcony. Sure, I turned on the TV and viewed the outside camera views, but for me it was not the same as having a window or a balcony.
As I noted, all these experiences are very subjective depending on each person. If my only options were to cruise no frills or not cruise at all, I would cruise no frills. When I am Blessed and have the resources to travel and cruise the way I prefer, I will add a few bells and whistles to my package. I try to watch the prices of the packages and excursions but I also know that I am going to have to spend some money to travel and cruise the way I prefer.
BTW, I flew Spirit once...and unless they are the only airline available and all I need to travel with is my shaving kit, I will never fly Spirit again. Not a sermon. Fair winds and following seas!
Jesus Christ my guy. Most things are free on a cruise. Now I’m wondering what you spend all of your time doing that you’ve never noticed all of the free stuff.
DRINKING TOO much
I toss the chair hogs crap on the floor and then take the chair
Of course you could just avoid the spa like the plague and not have the hard sell Elemis lecture that is GUARANTEED to come at the end of your session!
Matt, please speak slower- you have so much good information, but it is hard to understand you, because you speak so quickly and slur your words
Turn on closed captioning
Too many drink packages? 😂
Pro tip? Maybe it's just me, but I find it useful to slow the video playback speed to .75 when watching these. A bit more understandable that way.