On embarkation day, the pools are open so be sure to pack a bathing suit in your carry-on luggage so that you can enjoy them with less crowds! I'm Shari. The Key program by Royal Caribbean offers priority access at the terminal, baggage delivery to stateroom, welcome lunch from Chops Grille, VIP show access, and priority departure. The Aurea experience provides much more than just priority access and luggage drop off, also including access to the Top Exclusive Solarium, access to the thermal suite, discounted drink package rates, free delivery of room service and more. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? They also re-wear their embarkation clothes since this first day is typically not dressy at all. Youll also find that the water slides dont have long lines at this time on embarkation day. In fact, Day One has the makings to be as memorable as every other day of your getaway. Regardless of which day you choose, some specialty restaurants offer a lunch discount compared to dinner. If you buy heavy duty magnets with hooks, you can use these magnets to store certain items. Entertainment is typically included in your cruise fare but on the largest ships, you are required to make reservations. Believe me, searching for documents in your luggage is not only time-consuming but also frustrating. This option may not beviable for everyone because families and large groups may find lugging all their stuff from the stateroom to the terminal is not practical. Prior to sailing, guests may change or cancel their show reservations online up to 4 days prior to their cruise start date. We make sure to pack several items in our backpack, which I will include below: Youll notice that many of the items listed above are needed because our kids swim on embarkation day. For everyone's sanity, this rule does not apply to cruise ships. Commonly it is expected to tip somewhere around $1-$2 per bag. If you dont want to spend all morning waiting in lines, or if you just wish you could speed things up, this post is for you. The cruise line can have an impact as some lines have different embarkation . Whether this is your first cruise or youre a seasoned pro, we hope you have a great trip! Booking a suite has more advantages than you may think. Since 2021, Royal Caribbean has mostly been enforcing check-in times, so it's important to get a good time as early as you can. You're probably wondering what to expect on the day you board the ship. Guests should arrive at the terminal within the arrival time slot you selected during Royal App check-in. Every cruise line has its own procedure for when they open up the check-in process. Additionally, a cruise vacation, like any other type of travel, poses a risk for trip interruption, delays, and other unexpected issues. Many cruise lines allow you to pay a little extra for priority access to the ship. The rule is a thorn in the side of many travelers. You'll need to buy The Key for every guest in the cabin (age 6 and above) for every night of the cruise. Test out the TV, the toilet and the lights; check for bed bugs; sanitize anything you need to. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. So, continue reading below to find out everything you need to know about how to get an early boarding time on Royal Caribbean, so you can get started on your vacation as soon as possible! If you want a ship with a Broadway show, book Oasis or Harmony of the Seas, but skip Wonder of the Seas. Do you have Cruise Fever too? This allows us to keep our things organized and within easy access. HOW EARLY CAN I BOARD THE SHIP? Thanked the person politely and hung-up. Weird. . Talk to a few agents and feel them out for their knowledge of the product and when you find one that you are comfortable with, leverage their knowledge and expertiseand book with them. Naturally everyone thinks of the main dining room for dinner, but did you know it is often open forlunch (and breakfast) too? There are also two different times to consider: what time can you board your ship and what time can you arrive at the port to check-in. Those who arrive early will not be able to begin boarding, and those who arrive late will need to wait until we are able to work them into another group. So the earlier you book your cruise, the more stateroom inventory you will have and if freshman year high school economics taught me anything, it is that supply and demand plays a big part in pricing. Adventure Ocean will be open on the first evening of your cruise, but they have an open house on embarkation day in the afternoon too. 2011-2023, Cruise Fever . (+1 345) 244 2431. Royal Caribbean asks its guests to arrive within their check-in window to avoid crowding in the terminal. Venue: The Artground Date: 4 - 12 Mar 2023 Fee: $18 per pax (Weekday), $20 per pax (Weekend). 1. No reservations needed, just walk on in and be seated. The porter told us our luggage should be in our cabin fairly early since we were some of the first to arrive at the ship. Royal Caribbean shore excursions are fully refundable if your ship cannot dock at a scheduled port. The price you pay for the cruise is the same whether you board at noon or 2pm, so you may as well get the extra two hours of fun! If you get on the ship early you will find this is one of the best times to enjoy the cruise ship pools without any crowds. (The porters also have luggage tags in case you forget to print yours.). So the best way to learn about what is offered on your cruise is to check out a past Cruise Compass. What you want to do is log onto the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's website and purchase the drink package of your choice online. By arriving early, you will beat the big crowds that descend upon the cruise terminal later in the day, and you also get the added benefit of having some extra time onboard the ship. If you are concerned about the drink package price dropping, take solace in the fact you can always cancel and rebook with no penalty! DON'T assume your cabin is pristine and in working order, if you tend to worry about such things. Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. In general, on a cruise with RCI, you can change 1 bane, no problem, as long as at least one original guest stays . Two restaurants that always offer a cheaper lunch price than dinner are Chops Grille and Giovanni's Italian Kitchen. But did you know if you wait to book your drink package onboard the ship you will be overpaying for it? Due to government regulations requiring cruise lines to submit final departure manifests at least 60 minutes prior to sailing, guests are requested to complete Check-in no later than 3 days prior to their cruise. If you do not complete check-in online, you will be required to complete this process at the pier at least two hours prior to the published sailing time. Our $2,179.98 cruise has an insurance cost of $138 if bought through Royal Caribbean. You really do not want to bethat personin the airport losing their mind because the latest delay means the entire vacation is in jeopardy. A Royal Caribbean cruise is hands down my favorite type of vacation, and with so many years of going cruising, I have come across a lot of tricks and tips that really enhance my cruise. Club Orange by Holland America Line offers passengers priority access to exclusive perks and amenities, including priority check-in, stateroom upgrades, and an intimate dining venue on select ships. The person didnt even ask for the ship name or location and gave monosyllabic responses. In short, the app is tied to so much of the cruise experience now. This was a huge relief from the typical check-in desk with long check-in lines we have experienced in the past. One of my favorite benefits was having access to an amazing restaurant that was reserved for suite guests only. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Be the first to write a review! By completing online check-in early, you will have the best choice of check-in times. Cruise fares tend to be lower the sooner you book. From sunny Aruba to, If you are at least a Diamond member or above in Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society, here is a great way to, Taking a Royal Caribbean cruise is a great family vacation because of all the great things to see and do onboard. I wont go into every perk these loyalty programs offer, but you can check out our comparison of the loyalty programs on 8 different cruise lines. Note: You dont have to complete the entire check-in process in most cases. Depending on the arrival time you chose during online check-in, you can show up at the cruise terminal as early as 10:00 am for your cruise vacation. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. If you're on the fence about buying a Royal Caribbean drink package, keep in mind you can use them at Royal Caribbean's private islands. Share them in our comments on this post. What you want to do is look at what the ship you're considering has to do onboard, and ensure it has the most important options that you want to experience. If getting onto your cruise ship as early as possible is important to you these tips above should help. But how early can you board the cruise ship? Remember, if your suitcase will not fit through the x-rays at the security check-point you will have to employ the services of the porter anyway. You can read more about me here- Meet Shari. Once at the Muster Station, you just scan your SetSail Pass. I've been seeing some comments about show reservations being sold out by the time people boarded, that is the main reason why I was wondering if Royal Caribbean is really that strict or if it's likely they might let us on earlier. Royal Caribbean may send you an email about boarding times, but those are mostly suggestions and not enforced at all. If you have a cruise booked with Royal Caribbean, you can typically check-in around 45 days before your sail date. Each cruiser scanned his/her SetSail Pass (from the Royal Caribbean app) and was permitted to board the ship. From a bag getting lost in transit to flight cancellations, its always better to be protected than to not have insurance when you need it most. Royal Caribbean now enforces its check-in times, so be sure to check-in for your cruise as soon as check-in opens. Royal Caribbean's fitness center has separate showers for men and women that is complimentary to use. You can view all the shore excursions available by logging into Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner and browsing the shore excursions by port. Smart cruise advice, cruise deals, and breaking news. All E-Docs will be available up to 21 days prior to departure, provided full payment has been received and Online Check-In has been completed. Royal Caribbean is inviting select guests to try out a new way to board the ship that aims to improve the embarkation, The first day of your Royal Caribbean cruise should be the start of an amazing vacation, so be sure to avoid these, The first day of your Royal Caribbean cruise is areallyfun moment in any cruise fan's vacation, because it is when, The first day of your cruise is such an awesome feeling, and I have some great tips for making it as super smooth as, Embarkation day on any Royal Caribbean cruise is an exciting and busy day, and it appears Royal Caribbean is trying to, When your Royal Caribbean cruise ship begins to sail away from port and your cruise actually begins, you will probably. If you wait weeks or months to book a cruise onboard, the price of the cruise may increase and negate any savings you'd receive from the extra onboard credit. Called RCL this morning and got a weird / rude response when asking about what time I can board the ship. There is no question that if you want to get the lowest price on a cruise, book it as early as you can. Jon got hooked on cruising after his first cruise on his honeymoon, and today he is always looking for cruise deals and reading information about the cruise industry. *Please see all applicable Terms & Conditions for Promotions. I'm not sure RCL has started that. Required fields are marked *, document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a0f9c8c1261d574f1224454f4fa00eeb" );document.getElementById("d5aa0859c9").setAttribute( "id", "comment" );Comment *. By going on embarkation day, not only will you likely have a short wait but you may be able to re-ride a number of times! All Oasis-class ships offer this option, but many guests are unaware that breakfast is served here, nor that it is included with your cruise fare (Johnny Rockets has a cover charge for lunch and dinner). As an added bonus, by arriving to your embarkation port at least a day early, that means you get to start your vacation sooner! 2) Take a security photo. (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean) You are staying in a suite. Powered by Cruiseline.com. When you get the terminal, be sure to tell the pier agent you are staying in a suite so you can be directed to the right place. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Your email address will not be published. Theirservices are complimentary, although a tip is expected for their trouble. By completing online check-in early, you will have the best choice of check-in times. Due to government regulations requiring cruise lines to submit final departure . Book entertainment and dining as soon as possible. Arrive early. The majority of cruises leave port at 4 or 5:00 pm. But if you opt to drag your suitcases all through the terminal and onto the ship youre just slowing down the entire process. We know youre eager to arrive at the cruise port for your Royal Caribbean cruise. That is a question for Royal Caribbean. I would love to hearyourtips and tricks! You start getting benefits after just one cruise, and you never lose your status. My Time Dining usually begins around 6:00pm and lasts until 9:30pm, giving you a wide range of times to choose from. Note: MSC Cruises has a status match program, so you can carry over some of the perks you have with another cruise line. In order to avoid having your phone try to use its cellular connection, all modern phones have an ability to turn off its cellular signal by enabling something called, "airplane mode.". While frustrating to not have the rules enforced across the board, we still recommend adhering to the check-in time window to avoid any possible denial of boarding until later. This is a great spot to see the port as you leave, especially for those that do not have a balcony stateroom or simply want something a little different. Royal Caribbean offers a wide variety of things to do, services, and benefits to all guests that it can be easy to, We love a little intrigue as much as the next person, but nothing beats finding out about a secret, right? Try to get on the ship as soon as you can (in other words, get inline at the port early or get to the airport to the Royal Caribbean desk early to get the first transfer to the pier). The difference is booking onboard will get you extra onboard credit and reduced deposit. First, if you miss The Key check-in window, you have to fall back to whatever time you had before. Guests can use onboard credit towards purchasing Royal Caribbean'sshore excursions if they book onboard. Don't worry, you don't need to buy an internet package to use the Royal Caribbean app. Known. The cost is $129 for a 3-5 day cruise and $199 for a 6-9 day cruise with higher rates for longer voyages. For just a few dollars, you can make the embarkation and disembarkation process significantly easier. By planning to arrive to your departure port at least one day early, you assure yourself that a travel delay will not impact your ability to get on your cruise. The helipad onis located on the bow (front)of the ship and during sailaway, Royal Caribbean permits guests access to the helipad. In that case, keep in mind the luggage tags you will be provided with can be swapped out at Guest Services for a luggage tag with an earlier disembarkation time. Royal Caribbean offers a lot of shore excursions in every port and on top of that, you can also consider shore excursions through third party groups to further expand your options. Second, you're spending extra money for a benefit that is not cheap. The exact benefits you get depend on which tier of Crown and Anchor Society you belong to. It's the rule that you can only bring liquids three ounces or less in a one quart plastic bag, with one bag per passenger. Related: A look inside Regent's most expensive cruise ship. Unvaccinated travellers age 5 and 1. In addition to the non-alcoholic beverages, you can also bring up to two bottles of wine per stateroom. Our rooms then opened up at around 1:00 that afternoon. Like what you see? Video: Royal Caribbean food secrets Discounts, tips and more! When you make purchases onboard your cruise, at the end of the cruise you get a final bill with all of the charges tallied up. Rope dropping is also a great strategy for the sort of activities that quickly generate a line. Sure, you can book a Royal Caribbean cruise on your own, directly through the line's website. Our hotel (Intercontinental Miami) was a short 15-minute drive to the Port of Miami. Today, we, While I absolutely love cruising and traveling, we all know that sometimes things dont go exactly as we planned., We all make mistakes, including when on a cruise ship. Either way, you should have plenty of time to enjoy all the entertainment and activities onboard the ship. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. You will then go straight to the section on choosing your arrival time and pick the one you want. A really common mistake is for passengers to leave their phone on like normal, and come home to a monster bill because of hefty roaming charges. Depending on the length of your sailing, you can get up to $250 onboard credit. Previously, Royal Caribbean permitted a maximum of two 750-milliliter bottles per room. At 11:00, crew members instructed all of the suite guests to form a line. The simplest and easiest way to get on the ship faster is taking care of the check-in process early. If you want to try Sky Pad, FlowRider, rock climbing wall or zipline, take advantage of lower waits on the first day of the cruise. Then, we walked right into the suite waiting area. Cruise ships have to receive clearance from port authorities in order to be able to allow passengers from the previous cruise off the ship. So which food is included and which cost extra? Please plan your arrival accordingly to avoid the possibility of not being permitted to sail. But it wasn't a nightmare either. In general, Royal Caribbean's cruise fares are priced the least the further out you go, and as the sail date approaches, prices start to creep up as the supply of staterooms on a sailing begin to get booked up. Guests should arrive at the terminal within the arrival time slot you selected during Royal App check-in. The larger the group, the more important having a reservation is to limiting the wait times. I pack sunscreen to apply before swimming, and we carry on other essentials that we need before dinner. 10 tips to help you improve your cruise vacation. The only trouble is you may get hooked on it, and then you will have to come up with the cash for the next cruise. The Windjammer on Radiance and Quantum class ships offers an area at the rear of the ship to enjoy any meal with a fantastic view of the ship's wake. Avoid a huge cell phone bill by putting your phone into airplane mode while on your cruise. For Bahamian and Caribbean cruises, check-in registration begins at 11:00 am and embarkation begins at 1:00 pm. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. It is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling about 8.6% of the total worldwide share of the cruise market by passengers as of 2021. After all, if you want to jump in that pool as soon as you get on the ship you might as well be prepared. Instead of arriving to your departure city on the day of your cruise, get in early! The total cost of my cruise for two guests, including gratuities, taxes, and fees, was $1656. Those who arrive early will not be able to begin boarding, and those who arrive late will need to wait until we are able to work them into another group. An inside cabin will cost $76 per night, an ocean view cabin will cost $101 per night, a balcony cabin will cost $134 per night, and a . Booked my cruise early. A Royal Loft Suite on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. If you are on a Radiance or Quantum Class ship, be sure to enjoy your meals outside while at the Windjammer. There are a few tricks to scoring early arrival times if you are eager to be one of the first passengers on the ship. Johnny Rockets tends to be not very crowded for breakfast, because many guests are unaware of this option, and it also has a large seating capacity (indoor and outdoor seating options). NATURI - A Sound Installation & Performance. While buying stock in any company should be based on solid financial planning, if you happen to own at least 100 shares of Royal Caribbean Group stock, you can qualify for bonus credit to spend on your cruise.

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