SPOT ON!!!! Biggest mistake I EVER made (and only made it ONCE) was forgetting my Embarkation Carry On Bag with my swimsuit! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!! (Now I just wear my suit onto the ship!!!). Happy Sails To You!
Great suggestion about the lenses! My brother looked down at the “king of the world” spot on Harmony. His glasses fell off his face and slid into the water at the beginning of the trip. Unfortunately he didn’t have a backup pair with him.
Having been on Harmony, I can picture this exact moment! My glasses were loose and I had to constantly remind myself not to look down over a balcony or railing. 😁
Going on a cruise after a 2-year stop has me nervous and I'm over packing. LoL! But i'm so happy to cruise again it's the least of my problems. I always print luggage tags since they rarely arrive in the mail. Booking mealtimes and shows early too should be noted . Thanks!
I have highly color-treated hair (colors not found naturally in hair) so I've been taking travel-sized shampoo and conditioner lately on travels. If you have colored hair or something like dandruff, the shampoo in the showers doesn't do the job! As usual, great advice from start to finish in this vlog!
Hi Matt, I have one of the worse cruise mistakes there is. YEARS ago when I wasn’t as experienced with cruising as I am now……I literally and horribly went to the customer service desk and asked for some of my tip money back!! I know HORRIBLE!! My conscience bothers me to this day about that. I ate in the dining room once and in my crazy mind thought that I shouldn’t tip. Ugh, I want to slap myself again for that. But the good news is now I tip on top of the prepaid tips because the crew works so hard and deserve it. But geesh, that’s one shameful moment. 😕
did you get some money back? tbh if it wasn't a part of the bill I wouldn't have known to tip. I like that it's included but can be very unexpected so I get where you are coming from.
1:55 Thanks for showing the inside of one of those cabins above the shops. Those have always caught my eye on these videos but they are never talked about!
As someone who has over 40 cruises under my feet, I STILL forget the extra contacts and once, I even forgot my glasses praying the entire 5 days that my contacts would make it. Good news they did, but that part made me smile - "Guilty as Charged".
Super good idea to bring an extra pair of contacts. Mine have been known to rip and that would be a bug pain on the ship. Also, I have what you said about the shampoo to be true. It tends to be very harsh. I bring my own. The only mistake that stands out is I packed a pair of gloves that were not designed for the cold Alaska weather. Should've brought some heavier ones, which I now have.
Awesome advice Matt you are a rock star! Sailing Harmony for my 50th in November 2022 and will start booking some things I may be interested in. I really appreciate your blog especially since I have started to become more interested in sailing with Royal.
Great suggestion about the extra pair of contact lenses. One thing I do is to bring my own water bottle. I can refill it whenever and also take it to ports with me. Stay hydrated.
Matt, I am madly in love with my current GF and we are seriously considering the possibility of taking our very first cruise together for our honeymoon after getting married. I am taking several pages worth of notes full of do’s, don’t’s and tips to get ready. And 100% of them came from right here, the RCB UA-cam channel. Thanks for helping me prepare, Matt!
Standing member of the over-packer club, probably the biggest mistake I have made is not making sure the shoes I brought are good for walking...and on Allure you do A LOT of walking!
Talking about the extra room for kids, When you are booking the website makes you have 1 adult per room. So do you officially list your wife and 1 kid in one room then yourself and the other kid in the next room? If thats the case then how do the drink and food packages work? I think I've read that if I get the drink package, for example, then any other adult in the room has to also buy the package. But if your wife is in the next room does that mean you can get around that rule and only have 1 drink package? I looked on Reddit but couldn't find an answer there.
Hey Matt - Totally agree with you on pre-printing of luggage tags. I think the incident with the line at Navigator of the Seas may have been exacerbated by luggage tags not being made available online to those that put in a royal up bid. We were on that cruise with you. Our family had a total of four rooms. My Mother-in-Law and I put in Royal Up bids for our rooms. She received word three days in advance that she won her bid. I did not receive word at all until I got to the cruise ship that I had lost. Neither my Mother-in-Law's nor my luggage tags could be printed in advance. The rest of the family was able to print their's in advance.
We looked at putting our kids in a connecting room a number of times on both RC and Celebrity, the issue that has stopped us is that if we are in a suite and the connecting room is not a suite the kids do not get access the the suite lounge/deck Retreat, Coastal Kitchen, or Luminae. As a side note we are sailing in an Edge Villa on the 13th (Celebrity has suites that connect to an interior room)
These tips in the video & comments are helpful. Thanks Matt! Took our first cruise some years back now and the only 'mistake' we made was not booking any excursions. Looking forward to the Odyssey in Aug. Love your videos!
I wish your channel had been around when I went on my first cruise. So much good information here! My biggest mistake the first time I cruised was not using a travel agent. I didn't know their services were free so I thought it was just extra money to pay someone for something I can do myself. While not a huge disaster or anything, I definitely noticed the difference my second cruise when I did use a travel agent. Secondly, not pre-purchasing shore excursions and drink/dining packages in advance. Again, not disastrous to my first vacation, but still would have saved a few bucks.
@@pw-sz6ds Basically, they will help you plan a vacation that's tailored more to you and what you're looking for instead of a "generic" experience. Plus they will help you find the best deals, handle travel insurance, and booking your flights to and from. Granted one can do all that stuff on their own but I feel with a travel agent I just save time and worry less.
@@Twichl @DC Yote I would like to know also. I've been cruising for the last 24 years, (exclude 2020 and 2021). Only time I got my bookings free was when I did it myself. Do the travel agents make money from commission only?
I don't sail on RCCL, yet, but I always rely on the provided shampoo and body wash wherever I go. I find it's always been fine. Helps me also to not over pack.
When printing luggage tags, do you have to use a certain kind of paper extra long paper sticky paper how are the luggage tags gonna stay on with regular paper?
On our first cruise, we thought we had to book a ship excursion in every port. Now we know that we don't have to book any excursions and also can choose to book via the ship or a shore company. We do understand the peace of mind one gets booking through the ship excursion desk, or better still, via the web site pre cruise.
Definitely pre-print luggage tags... Our cruise in the beginning of February someone had the Porter write their cabin number and apparently they wrote it wrong because their luggage came to our cabin. My biggest mistake is over packing.
We just booked our cruise a couple of weeks ago for the 18th of March on wonder of the seas. RC has already lowered the drink package price from their original offer. Should I wait another week to see if they will lower it again??
I made the rookie mistake of forgetting my plastic luggage tag holders. All was well because I did print my tags, the porters luckily had a stapler and I didnt clog up the line not being prepared. Also, BIG tip. If you are cruising out of San Juan and departing to the airport...You have to run your bags through USDA's xray. This is required and not optional if you arent bringing any forbidden fruit. There were countless people who were turned away in my TSA precheck line because they didn't have the scanned bags. Do that first upon entering the terminal and you are good to go check your bags and go through security. About 50% of folks in the queue had to leave, go scan and come back through the line.
Matt, I have a first timers mistake to report …. It is a mistake for a new cruiser to not apply for the Crown and Anchor membership after cruise. And it’s a mistake not to add the C&A number into subsequent cruises… Royal C takes good care of their members over time. Just saying….. perks
I wish I knew “bringing your own shampoo and body wash” earlier. We were so surprised when we boarded our last RC cruise and found out that there is such a thing can wash both hair and body LOL
I booked my first 30 cruises without a TA. I them switched to a TA. Didn’t like them, switched, switched again. I now do it myself again. Maybe American TAs are better 🤷♂️
when we were ready to do our cruise, we called the travel agent (there's only one in town) we were told that the charge was FIFTY dollars per hour. needless to say, we are doing it DIY!
I overpack all the time but we drive to all our ports (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Port Canaveral) laugh, I pack with hangers, all I have to do is open the luggage and hang everything, the packing cubes to the drawers or shelves and I am done, we have been cruising since 1986 the same way, and have always done it,this way. Sorry I bring my own soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc. those body wash have a lot of alcohol, no good for your skin.
I packed a empty water canister in my luggage and our luggage ended up in the naughty room, they thought I was bringing on a bottle of booze. Now the water bottles goes in my carry-on. Also the night before when I was packing my luggage, I threw in our passports by mistake.
I won't go with a drink package. Even the soda one was 63$. Skip the massage and get one in your home town. It is too expensive. Eat at the restaurants vs. the buffet where you'll over eat.
I imagine you have to list one adult in each room though- that is what I have had to do. then in practice, you put the kids in one room (if they don't fight!)
Not checking my charges daily. We've had MANY not correct charges over our cruises so now we make sure every time to check every night before bed.
SPOT ON!!!! Biggest mistake I EVER made (and only made it ONCE) was forgetting my Embarkation Carry On Bag with my swimsuit! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!! (Now I just wear my suit onto the ship!!!). Happy Sails To You!
Great suggestion about the lenses! My brother looked down at the “king of the world” spot on Harmony. His glasses fell off his face and slid into the water at the beginning of the trip. Unfortunately he didn’t have a backup pair with him.
Oh geez, that’s awful!
Having been on Harmony, I can picture this exact moment! My glasses were loose and I had to constantly remind myself not to look down over a balcony or railing. 😁
Going on a cruise after a 2-year stop has me nervous and I'm over packing. LoL! But i'm so happy to cruise again it's the least of my problems. I always print luggage tags since they rarely arrive in the mail. Booking mealtimes and shows early too should be noted . Thanks!
I have highly color-treated hair (colors not found naturally in hair) so I've been taking travel-sized shampoo and conditioner lately on travels. If you have colored hair or something like dandruff, the shampoo in the showers doesn't do the job! As usual, great advice from start to finish in this vlog!
Hi Matt, I have one of the worse cruise mistakes there is. YEARS ago when I wasn’t as experienced with cruising as I am now……I literally and horribly went to the customer service desk and asked for some of my tip money back!! I know HORRIBLE!! My conscience bothers me to this day about that. I ate in the dining room once and in my crazy mind thought that I shouldn’t tip. Ugh, I want to slap myself again for that. But the good news is now I tip on top of the prepaid tips because the crew works so hard and deserve it. But geesh, that’s one shameful moment. 😕
Nutcase
did you get some money back? tbh if it wasn't a part of the bill I wouldn't have known to tip. I like that it's included but can be very unexpected so I get where you are coming from.
1:55 Thanks for showing the inside of one of those cabins above the shops. Those have always caught my eye on these videos but they are never talked about!
Matt, I know there is area's to find a check list for cruises. Let's here yours as a truly experienced cruisers! Love ya TY!!!!
As someone who has over 40 cruises under my feet, I STILL forget the extra contacts and once, I even forgot my glasses praying the entire 5 days that my contacts would make it. Good news they did, but that part made me smile - "Guilty as Charged".
Super good idea to bring an extra pair of contacts. Mine have been known to rip and that would be a bug pain on the ship. Also, I have what you said about the shampoo to be true. It tends to be very harsh. I bring my own. The only mistake that stands out is I packed a pair of gloves that were not designed for the cold Alaska weather. Should've brought some heavier ones, which I now have.
Awesome advice Matt you are a rock star! Sailing Harmony for my 50th in November 2022 and will start booking some things I may be interested in. I really appreciate your blog especially since I have started to become more interested in sailing with Royal.
Great suggestion about the extra pair of contact lenses. One thing I do is to bring my own water bottle. I can refill it whenever and also take it to ports with me. Stay hydrated.
Matt, I am madly in love with my current GF and we are seriously considering the possibility of taking our very first cruise together for our honeymoon after getting married. I am taking several pages worth of notes full of do’s, don’t’s and tips to get ready. And 100% of them came from right here, the RCB UA-cam channel. Thanks for helping me prepare, Matt!
Glad you found it helpful!
Standing member of the over-packer club, probably the biggest mistake I have made is not making sure the shoes I brought are good for walking...and on Allure you do A LOT of walking!
Talking about the extra room for kids, When you are booking the website makes you have 1 adult per room. So do you officially list your wife and 1 kid in one room then yourself and the other kid in the next room? If thats the case then how do the drink and food packages work? I think I've read that if I get the drink package, for example, then any other adult in the room has to also buy the package. But if your wife is in the next room does that mean you can get around that rule and only have 1 drink package? I looked on Reddit but couldn't find an answer there.
I’m going on Sunday 😄
Hey Matt - Totally agree with you on pre-printing of luggage tags. I think the incident with the line at Navigator of the Seas may have been exacerbated by luggage tags not being made available online to those that put in a royal up bid. We were on that cruise with you. Our family had a total of four rooms. My Mother-in-Law and I put in Royal Up bids for our rooms. She received word three days in advance that she won her bid. I did not receive word at all until I got to the cruise ship that I had lost. Neither my Mother-in-Law's nor my luggage tags could be printed in advance. The rest of the family was able to print their's in advance.
We looked at putting our kids in a connecting room a number of times on both RC and Celebrity, the issue that has stopped us is that if we are in a suite and the connecting room is not a suite the kids do not get access the the suite lounge/deck Retreat, Coastal Kitchen, or Luminae. As a side note we are sailing in an Edge Villa on the 13th (Celebrity has suites that connect to an interior room)
These tips in the video & comments are helpful. Thanks Matt! Took our first cruise some years back now and the only 'mistake' we made was not booking any excursions. Looking forward to the Odyssey in Aug. Love your videos!
Thanks so much
I wish your channel had been around when I went on my first cruise. So much good information here!
My biggest mistake the first time I cruised was not using a travel agent. I didn't know their services were free so I thought it was just extra money to pay someone for something I can do myself. While not a huge disaster or anything, I definitely noticed the difference my second cruise when I did use a travel agent.
Secondly, not pre-purchasing shore excursions and drink/dining packages in advance. Again, not disastrous to my first vacation, but still would have saved a few bucks.
What difference did it make using a travel agent the 2nd time?
@@pw-sz6ds Basically, they will help you plan a vacation that's tailored more to you and what you're looking for instead of a "generic" experience. Plus they will help you find the best deals, handle travel insurance, and booking your flights to and from. Granted one can do all that stuff on their own but I feel with a travel agent I just save time and worry less.
wait... travel agents are free!?!? Which ones?
@@Twichl @DC Yote I would like to know also. I've been cruising for the last 24 years, (exclude 2020 and 2021). Only time I got my bookings free was when I did it myself. Do the travel agents make money from commission only?
@@DCYote1 ok thanks. I’ll try one.
I don't sail on RCCL, yet, but I always rely on the provided shampoo and body wash wherever I go. I find it's always been fine. Helps me also to not over pack.
Unless you're bald, bring some little travel bottles of good shampoo & conditioner. Trust us.
UPDATE: Having just sailed on Mariner and experiencing its mysterious "tub of goo" in the shower, I understand better what Matt is preaching.
@@Honolulu-Blue Funny. We tried to tell you! 🙂
I've learned to book your add-ons around Black Friday! Best prices.
Matt, just wishing you a fantastic cruise on the Wonder 🛳 and don’t forget your sunglasses 😎
Thanks!
Your videos have given me so much valuable info. I’m about to start planning my first cruise.
So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed the videos!
When printing luggage tags, do you have to use a certain kind of paper extra long paper sticky paper how are the luggage tags gonna stay on with regular paper?
That was really helpful and insightful. Thanks Matt. 🙂
I am guilty for over packing because I get super excited to go on our vacation cruise and also not purchasing shore excursions in advance
Would u say a carry on luggage is good enough? This would include dress shoes along with a nice outfit. 3-4 casual outfits.
On our first cruise, we thought we had to book a ship excursion in every port. Now we know that we don't have to book any excursions and also can choose to book via the ship or a shore company. We do understand the peace of mind one gets booking through the ship excursion desk, or better still, via the web site pre cruise.
Did you say "trying to get some"? Talking about connecting rooms?
Definitely pre-print luggage tags... Our cruise in the beginning of February someone had the Porter write their cabin number and apparently they wrote it wrong because their luggage came to our cabin.
My biggest mistake is over packing.
I've heard people complain about the supplier body wash for years now and I really can't believe it's a problem.
Respect!!✊🏾
100% certain I will overpack for Alaska. :)
I have overpacked and still missed necessary items.
I forgot tags to out of port canaveral but was an easy fix
We just booked our cruise a couple of weeks ago for the 18th of March on wonder of the seas. RC has already lowered the drink package price from their original offer. Should I wait another week to see if they will lower it again??
Cancel and purchase it at the lower cost. They refund pretty quick from their site or call.
@@busymom7729
We haven't purchased the package yet
@@ld5954 , Well, I think if you purchase it now and it goes up you will be happy and if it goes down just cancel and rebook.
@@ld5954 Prices are good during the current sale. Book now.
I made the rookie mistake of forgetting my plastic luggage tag holders. All was well because I did print my tags, the porters luckily had a stapler and I didnt clog up the line not being prepared.
Also, BIG tip. If you are cruising out of San Juan and departing to the airport...You have to run your bags through USDA's xray. This is required and not optional if you arent bringing any forbidden fruit. There were countless people who were turned away in my TSA precheck line because they didn't have the scanned bags. Do that first upon entering the terminal and you are good to go check your bags and go through security. About 50% of folks in the queue had to leave, go scan and come back through the line.
hey matt are you going to br on the harmony of the seas that leaves on the 20th
Nope
Matt, I have a first timers mistake to report …. It is a mistake for a new cruiser to not apply for the Crown and Anchor membership after cruise. And it’s a mistake not to add the C&A number into subsequent cruises… Royal C takes good care of their members over time. Just saying….. perks
You’re not wrong!
Forgetting to checkin when it opens and getting a later checkin time
Not bring tums or Pepto Bismal from home it is too expensive on the ship and not bring a basket of supplies in case shark week starts.
🔥🤗
The phrase of the day is....More heft!🤣🤔
I wish I knew “bringing your own shampoo and body wash” earlier. We were so surprised when we boarded our last RC cruise and found out that there is such a thing can wash both hair and body LOL
I’m guilty of overpacking and not printing luggage tags.
I booked my first 30 cruises without a TA. I them switched to a TA. Didn’t like them, switched, switched again. I now do it myself again. Maybe American TAs are better 🤷♂️
when we were ready to do our cruise, we called the travel agent (there's only one in town) we were told that the charge was FIFTY dollars per hour. needless to say, we are doing it DIY!
50?? Wow! Ours never charges for time because she makes commission. Never heard of a travel agent who charges hourly. Insane.
I went on a 15-day cruises, and my dad only packed 3 shirts. We were washing a lot
I have anxiety just thinking about that
Print luggage tags with colored print especially if you're staying in a suite.
Overpacking is a huge issue for me.
Why would ANYONE put their kids in the same room? We've ALWAYS gotten connecting rooms.
One mistake is not flying in at least a day before your cruise is scheduled to depart from its port of embarkation.
Who is your travel agent?
MEI Travel
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog thank you, I enjoy your viedos
I overpack all the time but we drive to all our ports (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Port Canaveral) laugh, I pack with hangers, all I have to do is open the luggage and hang everything, the packing cubes to the drawers or shelves and I am done, we have been cruising since 1986 the same way, and have always done it,this way. Sorry I bring my own soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc. those body wash have a lot of alcohol, no good for your skin.
I wouldn’t feel safe with my kids in a different room 😂
They’re in a connecting room with a common inside door
Right. With a connecting room, you can leave the door between the room permanently open or close it just at night.
I packed a empty water canister in my luggage and our luggage ended up in the naughty room, they thought I was bringing on a bottle of booze. Now the water bottles goes in my carry-on. Also the night before when I was packing my luggage, I threw in our passports by mistake.
I won't go with a drink package. Even the soda one was 63$. Skip the massage and get one in your home town. It is too expensive. Eat at the restaurants vs. the buffet where you'll over eat.
Forgetting dollars to tip porters
Not following your blog is a big mistake 😉
I thought that you were not allowed to have kids alone in their own room? If so, you are breaking Royal Caribbean's rules!
We always get connecting rooms with a common door in between. So it’s one larger cabin
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Ah, got it. Thanks.
I imagine you have to list one adult in each room though- that is what I have had to do. then in practice, you put the kids in one room (if they don't fight!)