23 Do's and Don'ts for your 2023 Royal Caribbean cruise
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- Опубліковано 3 чер 2024
- Here are 23 tips you will need for planning any cruise vacation this year!
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My idea: DON’T GET EXCURSIONS ON COCOA CAY! The island has so many fun free things like the amazing beach or pool
Good to know! Going there soon for the first time
The dining package restriction issue was very good information!
The Jazz band on Odyssey was amazing. Cant wait.
I find getting an EARLY check-in time before the cruise extremely helpful. You can waltz right on the ship on Embarkation Day by doing that!
Had the crusted salmon twice on the Quantum of the seas last week , absolutely delicious 🇦🇺🥰
Going to Bermuda in May, can’t wait!
The wife n I are working with a travel agent to go on Royal Caribbean cruise this spring. Good points to know
The safety drill os really for everyone's safety and it is always safe to know where to go and what to do if the emergency arises. There is no better feeling than knowing that ships are strict about safety. Thank you Royal Caribbean
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Binge watching all of your videos plus new videos. Have a Freedom cruise booked for March with my fiance, our first time on a cruise. These videos are really helping with the nervousness. Thanks
How was it?
I agree with everything and do your research. We wanted to go to a specialty restaurant so I watched some videos and discovered that Jamie’s Italian has the same menu for lunch and dinner so we booked for lunch for half the price! Watch some videos and check out the specialty restaurants and reviews on your ship.
Great job, as always, Matt - thank you!
I am HOPEFULLY going on RCL for my 1st time this September (NE/Canada). I say HOPEFULLY because this cruise has been n the planning since 2018, and has been cancelled/rebooked (sometimes by me, sometimes by RCL). I have learned SO MUCH from you n that time, and will continue to do so. So - VERY grateful for you, and all your hard work!
I hope your cruise was a blast!
I think the new themed menu is great.
Great tips! Thanks! We are going on a cruise in June! Freedom of the Seas!❤
I’m excited about the new menu!
I watched Royal Blogs videos before my first Royal cruise earlier this month and I couldn’t been done checking in so quickly without the tips. Yes, check through the app ahead of time because it is a easy walk in situation and complete your Muster Station the minute you walk on. It’s super easy and no crowd of people waiting for a presentation because it all done in the app. Love watching the new videos to get top for my cruise Feb ‘24. My tip for everyone with My Time Dinning, make a reservation. We didn’t do this our first night and it was a mess with a long waits reservations are quick and easy for mid day dinners.
Thank you for slowing up...listened to the entire blog and was able to understand your tips and thoughts.
If you could just slow a little more it would be great....will stay subscribed as long as you stay on a slowed pace when sharing...
THANK YOU!!!
as a transition have one hotel night both before and after your cruise.
Don't forget custody orders and marriage license for documents! My wife thought I was crazy but when they asked for them we were glad we had them
What if you are getting married but it won’t be official until you get back?
great advice. cant wait to see the new restaurents on the ICON
I'm definitely excited to see what they're going to have for dining. I'm hoping with the new aqua theater that they might do a sort of dinner and a show thing. I think NCL does something like this.
All good stuff Matt. MSC is working the US market. Hopefully this will keep pricing in check at least a bit.
I WISH MSC would actually compete in the Us market. They have been insisting for years that they are catering to US Americans, but I’m just not seeing it. Some people enjoy it, but the vast majority of cruisers I’ve talked to just didn’t enjoy them.
We have a yearly insurance plan. We have done 9 cruises since August 2021 and it pays. Thank you, we are booked on 4 more Royal, until the Icon in January 2024.
My advice for traveling in RC in 2023 is to take the unlimited restaurant package, two weeks ago we went to RC Harmony of the Seas for 7 nights in the Caribbean ( july 2023 )and the food both in the main dining room and in the buffet was terrible, with few options, small portions and little variety. We had to pay for the restaurant package to be able to eat a decent meal, also the breakfast was very bad. The restaurants were good, Chopper and 150 Central Park were my favorites. It is worth mentioning that I have traveled with RC on 6 occasions, and I had never experienced this problem with food
DEFINITELY FLY THE DAY BEFORE!! I made the horrible rookie mistake when I was younger and going on my first cruise. I flew the same day and me and my friends MISSED the cruise ship because the plane broke down!! We had to then waste money on another flight to catch it in Puerto Rico and on a hotel for the night (which we should’ve invested in the day before) So we missed the first 2 days of our cruise, it didn’t feel like the same after. I will never do that again!!
Taking a cruise this year instead of Disneyland$$$ has brought me here...
The tips were great, this will be my families 1st cruise. 😃🌞
Glad it was helpful!
Exactly 2 months away from our destiny with Harmony of The Seas snd 8 days of awesomeness!
Matt, thanks for the tip about pre-purchasing and cancelling if there is a better deal. I always pre-purchase but didn’t realize that I could cancel and re-purchase if the price ended up dropping. I just went to the Royal Caribbean site and noticed that our Internet package price had dropped for our upcoming cruise so I cancelled the original and rebooked with the lower price with no problem! I owe you a drink with some of the money I saved! Thanks so much!
I just did the same thing!
Hi, when you cancelled, did you pay the lower price and then got the full refund of the previous or were you refunded the difference?
@@LeslieAM32 I received a full refund for the first when I cancelled it and then had to pay the full (lower) amount for the re-purchase.
Definitely get travel insurance! I got a plan for 4 people for about $80. Definitely better safe than sorry...especially for the medical alone.
Thanks for the tips. I'm cruising in 10 days.
Glad it was helpful!
Remember that closed loop has to leave and come back from THE SAME PORT! It is not considered closed loop if you leave Miami go to Cozumel and then disembark in Galveston.
Arriving at the port the day before is also good because travel to port can wipe you enough without having the cruise boarding on top of it.
I really wanted to try the cococay beach club. Almost $300 per person for my March sailing on wonder. Too rich for my blood.
Booked 3 yes 3 RCL's this Year. Thanks Matt! Always Helpful!!! 👍!
Thank you for all the tips. I recently learned while sailing with my birth certificate because my passport was getting renewed that a closed loop cruise, one that starts and ends at the SAME US port, not just any US port is fine with my birth certificate. I could not have sailed on a Panama canal cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale and Returning to LA.
Right. For people who enjoy knowing WHY, look up the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative for all of the rules about closed-loop cruises. There are some interesting exceptions to the closed-loop rule, like sailing to Martinique requires a passport. Who knew?
Great information matt
Two cruises booked for 2023 and one booked but four planned for 2024! I haven't cruised since 2015 and this summer will be my first with my daughter. She has special and medical needs so it will be interesting to see how it goes. I know we will have an amazing time though!
Some of your t ips are good advice for any cruise line.
That's true!
My wife I Are taking my. Wife’s sister on her first cruise on the oasis!
And the Mardi Gras there bolt wasn’t free. It’s so nice here there activities are free and have a my favorite Starbucks on board
Being a full fledged picky eater, deleting the nightly basic choices from the MDR menu sucks!
I was very disappointed with the new MDR menu on my Wonder cruise earlier this year. There were some nights when nothing appealed to me.
If you're traveling with a minor child that is not yours, make sure you get a paper signed and dated by either both parents or the legal custodial parent saying that it is okay for you to take that child out of the state and country with you and make sure you have it notarized or spend a few dollars and have something drawn up by an attorney. It'll help to avoid extra questions when they see the last names don't match due to human trafficking measures. This is a helpful tip I pulled of the internet, and I think Carnival's site as well.
Can you do a video on Travel insurance... what specifically to look for to ensure you have and know what to ensure you r covered. ?
ua-cam.com/video/BHaS6hfWdPk/v-deo.html
I will fly the same day if the port is in CA. Only because it's only a 45 minute to 1 hour flight. And I'll book a 6am flight with a 1pm check-in time at port. So I don't worry about delays.
Hey Matt, I just back from an 11 night cruise on Anthem of the Seas to the Southern Caribbean where Royal Caribbean let me go onto the bow of the ship to propose to my GF and she is now my Fiancee !!!!!! This made her first cruise even more special.
Congratulations!
We're the menus different for the last 3 nights, with the new menus or were they rrpeats?
@@kathyreid3488 We got the unlimited dining package so we never ate at the MDR. It was so worth it, the steaks at Chops and the Pasta at Jamie's. The Best!!!!
Change is inevitable, with that being said, there are some things on the MDR menu that should just not change. What I look forward to is shrimp cocktail and cheesecake every night, my favorite. I don't eat chocolate, and they have a lot of new chocolate on the menu. Or so I seems they do because the cheesecake has been taken off most nights menu, and I had to look at the other options.
Any tips for lo ger sailings? I have a 10 day coming up and want some tips. Did a 7 day last year.
A lot of good advice. I would love to travel with carry on bags only. I don't because one of my favorite things to do is buy a bottle of the local adult beverage to bring home. Since it can't be carried on, the only alternative is to pack it in my checked bag.
A tip that I do for this exact thing, is you are usually allowed a personal and carryon bag. I will take a full carryon with a quarter/half full backpack with me. This way my luggage won’t get lost on the way there. Then I will check the carryon on the way back and put that bottle in there. I will move whatever from my carryon to the backpack for space for the bottle. Best wishes!
@@hayleae.450 Thanks for the tip.
Good info. We are booked on the RCCL Independence of the Seas in September out of Port Canaveral. While the cruise fare for the aft balcony isn't much higher than the 2019 cruise we took on RCCL Mariner, the Cococay excursions are WAY more expensive! Wow!
We'll be on the same trip! 😊
@@Naldo_S1K I ended up cancelling this years September cruise on RCCL and instead taking our next RCCL cruise on the Allure next year February.
@@TheRiverPirate13 well shucks! Thought I was going to make a UA-cam friend! 😁 Enjoy your cruise!
@@Naldo_S1K Lol! I met a few fellow UA-camrs on my last MSC Seaside cruise last April. So funny we all did different videos of that cruise.
Limited aka cart meals??? Please do a video on this.
Don't forget to always check if you credit card gives you travel insurance that works. I didn't know this and later realized that as long as one paid the entire cruise on the card, there was trip insurance automatically covering the trip. You of course have to make sure it's insurance that covers what you're doing..but don't pay more if you can!
I'm planning my first Alaskan cruise in May 2024 (It's an 8 day). Please tell me how I can fit all my stuff into a carry-on!
Travel insurance is a must i had to change my flight i had my insurance
How does the a la carte work? It said we can't use the $20 dollar credit twice at the same restaurant, but can have the $20 dollar credit at two different restaurants?
We are going Transatlantic in 20 days on Anthem of the Seas (May 1 2023) NJ to Southampton UK and RC has emailed us saying that a pre cruise COVID test is NOT required but we need to provide a vaccination card.
All good info Matt. Are there self serve laundry facilities on any RC ships? If so, which ones?
RC does not have self service laundry, but they do offer a laundry service.
No, there's no self service laundry on Royal Caribbean ships
HELP! Question: you state to always book your cruise through a reliable Travel Agent. It in other videos you state to book through Next Cruise while on board.
Which is it? I’m a little confused.
we are leaving in 5 days. new menus are being used. I believe we will have starlink. We are in a grand suite because it's an old ship so wifi is included.
Matt thanks for the good advice. Have tried using the Royal Caribbean blog for past cruise compasses but they aren't there. Any advice on how to get them?
Anything I have is here: www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass
We're at the mercy of readers to send them in
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog thank you
Hey, have you done a blog on western cruise (Cozumel) vs eastern Caribbean cruise Bahamas, Cocoa Cay. Done Bahamas 2x. Hearing about ppl having to pay taxis to get to private beaches in cozumel. Not sure how it works there. Don’t know enough. Thinking cocoa cay is so much easier for my family situation.
@@lotuslilus Cozumel taxis are very prevalent and relatively cheap. Last time I was there we took a taxi to Paradise Beach for about $10.
What do you think of an annual travel insurance policy like Allianz?
Do you have a video that explains that last dining package better? Is this a specialty dining package? Or is this just everyone dining? Do you have to get some kind of stamp or card? How do they know you're going to the same restaurant more than once in a day?
ua-cam.com/video/HSpwxIlXDo8/v-deo.html
i’m going on a transatlic cruise and need to get tested, any idea on how it works if I went to cvs? how do I show them it’s negative?
I just got off the Oasis, they are still ignoring the once-per-day limitation at the a la cart restaurants.
Quick question in regards to travel insurance. When you book a Royal Caribbean cruise and have the option to purchase the travel insurance then, does that count towards what you were referring to being medical and stuff? Or is this something independent of the travel insurance plan offered by Royal Caribbean?
I don’t know the specific answer to your question, but I have observed from my previous cruises, that it is far more cost effective to buy your Travel Insurance independently from the cruise line (whichever cruise line it may be).
Personally, I have noticed that buying Medical Travel Insurance is significantly cheaper, independently and assures that medical attention onboard as well as transportation to an onshore facility is covered.
Make sure that you state that you wish for cruise insurance coverage.
I booked an Alaska cruise through a travel agency for June and bought the travel insurance through them too. It covers events before your cruise (if you get sick, refund your cruise fare), during your cruise, and airfare if delay or cancelled.
subbed!
I just discovered this great channel. Question: I'm going on my first cruise later this month. We have a balcony room on Brilliance of the Seas. Will there be an iron in the room? Thanks.
No irons are allowed on the ships for fire safety. You can use the bag that is in your room and fill it with clothes needing pressing. Then give it to your room steward. Usually the cost is about $10. We do this all the time and have never had a problem.
No, irons are not allowed and not provided
Only British cruise ships have irons (P&O have a self service laundry on every deck - includes washing machines, tumble dryers, irons and ironing boards)! Plus they have kettles in each cabin!
However, the cruise experience is REALLY BASIC - not bad, but not exciting and action packed. Very British.
I should have watched this first! 😢I’m a first time cruiser. My flight is scheduled to arrive in Miami at 9:30am. We are set to sail at 4pm from the Miami port.
I would change your flight to the day before. That sail time doesn't mean you can get on the ship at 3:59. You're playing with fire.
LOL. My travel agent told me I had to book with a specific one and within 7 days of deposit. It was way too much so I didn't buy it. I'll look elsewhere now that I know. Especially interested since our schedules don't allow us getting there a day in advance.
Speaking of changes, here's one I hope they change (back). We just got off a 10 day cruise on the Radiance, While dining in the dining room is one of our favorite thing of cruising, a new change has made it somewhat uncomfortable. While dining, we like to try several things offered on the menu. For example, we may want to try two appetizers. When we order, I would also tell the waiter to bring them at the same time. Well, as of January 30th, the day of our cruise, I was told by the waiter that a new policy for Royal is to not bring any two ordered items for one person at the same time. They would need to be served one after the other. That sounds like that would not be a big deal, just making the dining experience slightly disappointing. However, we found out it was a bigger deal than that. If you are sitting at a large table with guests you are not necessarily traveling with and you order two appetizers, they will bring them one after the other. If the other guests at the table only order one, they will have to wait until you have finished both before bring out the entre. While this may sound simple, the waiter has other table to serve, and therefore, may not bring your second appetizer right away. Then, all the sudden, the rest of the table is ready to move on to the entre and there you are, either waiting for the second item to be delivered, or trying to finish it. Then you become that guy everyone is looking at. This makes you either want to forgo your preferred experience, or try to rush through it in order to prevent the others at the table from having to wait on you. Not the dining experience we have enjoyed for years on Royal. Hope enough people bring this to their attention and they change this policy back.
They're trying to make you order less food
Do you know if royal Caribbean will CHARGE a few with new adult area in the Bahamas?
My wife and I booked our first time on a oasis. Plus where taking our daughter on her first cruise. We’re sailing this fall. My wife down loaded royal Caribbean’s app. We sailed on Mardi Gras last January and we had to test plus wear that dumb mask . So miserable.. where so thankful we don’t have to have worry about those masks or testing.
If you are doing a closed loop cruise a green card is also valid in lieu of a passport.
When will you do a 2024 video?
Leaving in 3 days woop woop
I have a question for you. Are there Alcoholics Anonymous meetings on the allure. Going in April. So excited!!
Yes there are! Look for events called “friends of bill w”
Congrats on your sobriety!
41 years and counting. Thank you!!
Ahhhhhhh, the way he said arrabiata and chipotle gave me an aneurysm LOL
Hi! Why is an earlier check in better? Just curious. After reading how crowded the buffet is the first day we moved our check in to later so we can just go out to lunch in Texas. Is there something we will lose or miss out on by checking in later? Leaving 1/23. Thanks!
Boarding earlier maximizes your (paid) vacation time. You also have many other free options aside from the buffet. Do you want to pay for a lunch in Texas or would you possibly rather have a free lunch on board the ship? This is always what I consider before choosing a boarding time. Enjoy your cruise!
Plus - if you’re going to pay for lunch, prebook a speciality restaurant on the ship - the menu is sometimes cheaper. Your holiday starts when you step on the ship…
I didn't know there was a restriction on the dining package. That's unfortunate. It doesn't really make it unlimited then.
19 more days i cant wait😅😅😅😅
so can I still buy travel insurance if my cruise is in less than 2 weeks lol and which do you recommend
Go to insuremytrip.com and find the right policy for you
powerful video
Keyword was book a good travel agent if you don’t have one you gotta do what you Gotta do
We have to have our passports for a cruise that begins and ends in California
Has the Dinning package changed? We booked the Icon of the Seas in May 2024 and the dining package isn't there yet. Is the reason for that because it is a new ship and there are new dining options that are not released to the public yet?
Yes, it's not there yet because it's a new ship. I'm sure it will eventually show up
for one it’s a new ship and two the date is far away
If you need to cancel, they won't apply the money to another cruise?
Potentially Nov 9th on jewel of the seas!!! Just waiting for husbands work to approve the time off
We did our honeymoon on Jewel! You'll love her. Fingers crossed your husband gets the time off!!!!
@@pianointhedesert He got the approval today! Called RC as soon as he got home to put my $ on our sailing! Going with our then to be 18 month old.
@@scottishgirl1100 Wonderful! Definitely take advantage of the nursery for your toddler if it's on board- ALL of you will love it. ;)
@@pianointhedesert dont think there is a nursery on the ship but that's ok! I'd rather have my son with me.
There are nursery’s on every ship. You’ll enjoy using it for date night - treat yourselves! ❤
Some videos you said do not buy insurance
Buy a block of stock, because it gives you onboard credit for each cruise.
From the thumbnail I though Matt was going to say don’t go to Playmakers 😅
My passport took 15 weeks on a renewal and I received invalid photo on week 12. Thank heavens I found my birth certificate.
Is there a size limit for the carryon bag like there is for airlines? 10:55
The only limit is it must be able to fit in the security x ray machines in the terminal
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog off to find the dimensions of those machines. We’ve not cruised before so trying to gather information. Thank you for your videos. They are extremely helpful.
4:54 Woo hoo!!!
If your traveling on a closed loop from California (or any other state) where THC products are legal for recreational, does that mean your ok to board with it? The RC policy says no illegal drugs, so I was curious if they are applying state of departure or federal law.
It doesn’t matter if it’s legal in California or where you live. You’re visiting other countries where it could be illegal. Check Mexico’s laws
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog I'm not talking about deporting at any port with anything, just specifically on the Royal Caribbean ship. How do they enforce the no illegal drugs rule when it comes to THC products? Specifically when boarding as well as when using areas on the boat that allow smoking will you be allowed or not?
@@it_is_what_it_is_brotha it is not allowed
How do you find a good travel agent?
Word of mouth recommendation!
How do you find a GOOD (great????) travel agent??
Word of mouth recommendation
Would you get refundable cruise fare AND travel insurance, seems redundant
Travel insurance doesn't cover you if you want to cancel arbitrarily on your own before final payment date.
Travel insurance covers unforeseen circumstances that force you to cancel.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog do you have examples of arbitrary and unforeseen? How do you prove to travel insurance the difference?
Unforeseen would be like if there were a hurricane at the port and the cruise was canceled. Vs arbitrarily which would be if you had something come up and wanted to rebook for a different date. I think of travel insurance as something that could effect many people while refundable is if something only happens to you.
@@hayleae.450 That makes sense,thanks!
You can’t just cancel your cruise and get your money back even refundable cruises with insurance. I’m dealing with this now. My mate can’t go, I want to cancel 18 days out and they told me I get no money back from Royal Carribean and that I would have to go thru insurance and insurance said you needed to have a medical emergency or something with proof to cancel and get a refund and it still didn’t guarantee all of my money back.
I wish we could get refundable cruises in the UK. RCI don't have them for UK clients!
The video says they don't cost a lot but the travel insurance quote I got was about 40% of the price of the cruise!
Just like car insurance, there are many insurance providers and rates
Don’t buy insurance from the cruise line - use an independent insurance company and buy an Annual one if you can - far cheaper.
Hey Matt, If your trip is in May 2024 and your passport expires in October 2024, is that ok?
Yes
It depends on where you’re going. Some countries (European) require passport to be valid for six full months. Few countries are less (Australia is four months). If your trip is late May to early October your passport may only be valid for 5 moths after your exit date, not the required 6. Check online.
Double check with the country/s that you’re going to. Normally it’s 6 months, but you MAY be excused!!
I’ve noticed that at many cruise terminals, you don’t encounter immigration or customs, they’re staffed by Security Personnel.
40 days till Cruise day