Help Create a NEW "Cruising on Royal Caribbean FAQ"

[notscb]

10 hours ago, HansSlinger said:

Do we need to get there earlier?

Yes.You need to be onboard at least an hour before departure.

[Biker19]

On 10/7/2023 at 2:17 AM, HansSlinger said:

The Ship App says Gangway up at 4pm, but that is when we are due to board.  Do we need to get there earlier?

Depends on if it's the embarkation port or just a visiting port. For a regular port stops that's fine, for an embarkation port you want to be there a bit earlier.

[Kellie in Texas]

On 8/25/2023 at 12:42 PM, CCW84 said:

Booked our first cruise on Voyager of the seas, 7 nights in Europe. We have an inner cabin, so  2 pullman beds. Does the cruises ever have trundles in the cabin or could we put the mattress on the floor? With younger kids the bunks wont work great and we are used to sharing our beds when needed anyways. What are our options for configuration here? 

You may have already gotten some info by now, but there will be very little floor space to try and put a mattress on the floor, not to mention it would be difficult to get the mattress off the pullman bunk. The pullman beds do have rails on them down the sides, so you can't really roll off. 

[KBS1607]

Our embarkation time is 2:30, so is the last muster drill. How much earlier can we get there?

 

Thank you in advance. 

Edited November 17, 2023 by KBS1607

[Biker19]

50 minutes ago, KBS1607 said:

How much earlier can we get there?

Any time - very few, if any, ports enforce the arrival times.

[KBS1607]

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Any time - very few, if any, ports enforce the arrival times.

Thank you. That’s what my daughter said but I’m a rule follower, lol. 

[avinger49]

we purchased the 3 night dining package for our Nov 2024 cruise. I am unclear on how this works. do I use the app to make reservations for the 3 restaurants we want prior to boarding or do I have to wait till I board and go to each restaurant to make reservations. thanks in advance

 

[Biker19]

3 hours ago, avinger49 said:

do I have to wait till I board and go to each restaurant to make reservations.

This, though you can book in the app or at a single venue for all dinners.

[clockwork58]

Looking forward to our 1st cruise since late 2019 and we are preparing to go on Icon in October. I just want to ask/confirm some of the following to refresh my memory (We have done 3 previous RCCL cruises)

1) soda beverage package. If only 1 person in our group of 3 wants it, you don't have to pay for 3 packages right? Is there a time limit on refills at the machines? Realistically I'll be the only one drinking soda.

2) At the same beverage machines, you can use any type of water bottle to get water/ice for free right? (I remember this from last cruise on Adventure)

3) Is there any technical roadblocks for Voom internet. It's obviously cheaper to order " 3 devices for 1 person" vs " 1 device each for 3 people" Does it know or tie into your Royal app on your device? Like do I login with my royal app on all 3 devices? Does internet even care if the royal app is on the device or not? What's the biggest discount you've seen for Internet?
 
4) We have a stop at St. Martin and this time we want to head to Maho beach. For the score excursion It's really pricey. what do u get for your money on that one? I'm reading you can get a taxi for $15-20 each way instead.
5) For everything available for purchase pre-cruise thru the RCCL App, can you cancel and rebook if it goes cheaper or do some have a disclaimer saying you can't

Thank everyone.

[goodshape]

2 hours ago, clockwork58 said:

Looking forward to our 1st cruise since late 2019 and we are preparing to go on Icon in October. I just want to ask/confirm some of the following to refresh my memory (We have done 3 previous RCCL cruises)

1) soda beverage package. If only 1 person in our group of 3 wants it, you don't have to pay for 3 packages right? Is there a time limit on refills at the machines? Realistically I'll be the only one drinking soda.

2) At the same beverage machines, you can use any type of water bottle to get water/ice for free right? (I remember this from last cruise on Adventure)

3) Is there any technical roadblocks for Voom internet. It's obviously cheaper to order " 3 devices for 1 person" vs " 1 device each for 3 people" Does it know or tie into your Royal app on your device? Like do I login with my royal app on all 3 devices? Does internet even care if the royal app is on the device or not? What's the biggest discount you've seen for Internet?
 
4) We have a stop at St. Martin and this time we want to head to Maho beach. For the score excursion It's really pricey. what do u get for your money on that one? I'm reading you can get a taxi for $15-20 each way instead.
5) For everything available for purchase pre-cruise thru the RCCL App, can you cancel and rebook if it goes cheaper or do some have a disclaimer saying you can't

Thank everyone.

1.Not everyone needs to buy the soda package.

3.Voom is not device specific. So buying 3/4 devices for 1 person is the cheapest way. All of you will use the same login and password then. 

5.Yes book now and watch prices if they go down cancel and rebook.

[Tom47]

3 hours ago, clockwork58 said:

) At the same beverage machines, you can use any type of water bottle to get water/ice for free right? (I remember this from last cruise on Adventure)

Beverage machines that accept computer chip will not refill your water bottle.  You get a computer chip bottle with soda package or other drink packages.
4

 

Edited February 20 by Tom47

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

7 hours ago, clockwork58 said:

Looking forward to our 1st cruise since late 2019 and we are preparing to go on Icon in October. I just want to ask/confirm some of the following to refresh my memory (We have done 3 previous RCCL cruises)

1) soda beverage package. If only 1 person in our group of 3 wants it, you don't have to pay for 3 packages right? Is there a time limit on refills at the machines? Realistically I'll be the only one drinking soda.

2) At the same beverage machines, you can use any type of water bottle to get water/ice for free right? (I remember this from last cruise on Adventure)

3) Is there any technical roadblocks for Voom internet. It's obviously cheaper to order " 3 devices for 1 person" vs " 1 device each for 3 people" Does it know or tie into your Royal app on your device? Like do I login with my royal app on all 3 devices? Does internet even care if the royal app is on the device or not? What's the biggest discount you've seen for Internet?
 
4) We have a stop at St. Martin and this time we want to head to Maho beach. For the score excursion It's really pricey. what do u get for your money on that one? I'm reading you can get a taxi for $15-20 each way instead.
5) For everything available for purchase pre-cruise thru the RCCL App, can you cancel and rebook if it goes cheaper or do some have a disclaimer saying you can't

Thank everyone.

2 - You should be using a cup to refill your water bottle.

[yancycruiser]

Laura,   My 20 year email address of dywa@knology.net has been deleted by Knology by error.  How can I change my email address on cruise critic.   Thank you.

[Biker19]

20 minutes ago, yancycruiser said:

How can I change my email address on cruise critic.

You may want to use the @LauraS call out or email the mods directly.

[jobinseattle]

Explaining the Royal Suite Class:

 

There looks to be three things one must understand.

 

The first is, What Royal Caribbean ships are part of the Royal Suite Class?

Is Royal Suite Class Available in all Cruise Ships? | Royal Caribbean Cruises

 

Next thing to understand is: Is my suite in Sea, Sky or Star class and what perks for each category?
What benefits are included in each Royal Suite Class Tier? | Royal Caribbean Cruises

 

What rooms are included in the Sea, Sky or Star category?

What Rooms are Included in the Royal Suite Class Program? | Royal Caribbean Cruises

 

[QTBabyNurse]

On 2/20/2024 at 11:17 AM, clockwork58 said:

In regard to your 4th question…
 

This is what we have done numerous times on St. Maarten. I can't remember how much exactly the taxi cost though. Just one piece of advice, make sure to leave enough time to get back to the ship because we have hit traffic on the island a couple of times and it can delay your return.

Edited March 23 by QTBabyNurse
Edit

[pambam]

On 5/22/2019 at 8:51 PM, Biker19 said:

Usually MTD starts earlier than traditional - you may ask in a Roll Call thread what others have for MTD, I have a feeling your MTD may start at 5:30.

We have been in that situation more than once and went to the main dining room early and requested to come at 5:30 due to having a conflict with a showtime. They always were happy to accommodate us.

If the MDR won't work with you try going to Guest Services on the Promenade deck and explain your situation and they will likely make it happen. If that doesn't work I would suggest trying to make a RSVP for the Solarium Bistro which typically has really good food in the evenings or resign yourself to the Windjammer so you can get good seats for your show by showing up early.

[pambam]

On 1/22/2024 at 12:42 PM, avinger49 said:

we purchased the 3 night dining package for our Nov 2024 cruise. I am unclear on how this works. do I use the app to make reservations for the 3 restaurants we want prior to boarding or do I have to wait till I board and go to each restaurant to make reservations. thanks in advance

 

Royal has changed this around more than once making it confusing. I have utilized the dining packages more than once. The first time on Harmony, I called to ask the question you are asking and was told they will make your first reservation as a courtesy and then we book the rest when we get onboard the ship. The second time on Oasis, we made that first RSVP and were in the first group to board the ship. We immediately went to make our other RSVP'S and Izumi Hibachi was sold out for the whole week! Upon asking how it could be sold out since we were in the first group onboard we were told that people did their Reservations on the app? Why weren't we notified about this? Last week on the Utopia I had called so this wouldn't happen again and was told all RSVP were being done on the ship now. We had early boarding and managed to get all the restaurants that we wanted. I had spoken to someone with RC about an idea I had to avoid the confusion with the dining packages and a better way to set up their reservation system for dining. He thought my idea was a good one and said he was going to bring it up at a scheduled board meeting. We shall see. However in answer to your question, I would suggest checking your app to see if they were allowing online RSVP. If not call Royal and see if you can get the first reservation in. Then I'd get the earliest boarding time and go directly to the dining RSVP area and get your reservations made. Do this before you report to your muster station. I hope this helps since my answer is sort of a non answer due to my experience.

[pambam]

On 5/22/2019 at 8:47 PM, Mr. Candyman said:

I'm on Allure and I emailed RCI Dining and was told ours was from 6-9 and the only way I could go earlier was to change to Traditional for the entire cruise. I planned on asking once on board anyway.  I just need the first night early to get some of the shows out of the way so we can "relax" more throughout the week.  

I think this answer is dependent on the ship. However, on Allure we had gone to the MDR and asked the person in charge of we could come early that evening due to a conflict with our shows. They were very accommodating and told us to be there at 5:30 sharp and they would get us seated. We did so and also told our servers about our show time and they were very accommodating. We made our show in plenty of time!

[pambam]

On 5/22/2019 at 8:24 PM, Mr. Candyman said:

I have a similar situation but I figured I'd just roll the dice and see what happens....but now that you said just show up early brings out a question.  I know you can always show up outside the reservation but If MTD is from 6:00pm-9:00pm are you saying we could be sitting much earlier than that or were you thinking dinner starting at like 5:30pm?

Unless something has changed recently, yes, you should be able to go earlier. If you can not I'd suggest getting a RSVP at the Solarium Bistro or going to the Windjammer. I think RC needs a better plan for conflicts with dining and show times.

[pambam]

On 10/17/2022 at 11:25 AM, mmeseke said:

More and more this is becoming a personal choice.  You will see all types of attire in the MDR each night.  My wife most nights will wear a nice sundress and her nicer sandals/flip-flops.   Don't be surprised when you see fellow cruises showing up in shorts and t-shirts.

 

Side note, men must have sleeves on their shirts or they might be asked to leave and change.

The ship recommends "smart casual". Polo or button down shirts and long pants for men and dresses, skirts or long pants for women. No shorts, tank tops, beachwear.

That being said, it seems many people are no longer adhering to the ships recommended attire. I've seen men in shorts, women in bathing suit cover ups, jeans and all sorts of attire not recommended by the ship's rules. Some ships are more stringent than others. The Utopia being the most lax as I saw men in shorts in the unlimited dining venues. But I had also noticed that if you weren't dressed by the ship's recommended attire they were seating people in the patio area.

I'm pretty sure your wife would be able to wear flip flops and get away with it, however I'd suggest sandals that cover more of her foot as this probably is more about sanitation than any dress code. That being said, wearing flip flops would probably be more up to whatever ship you are on. 

 

[pambam]

On 10/7/2023 at 2:17 AM, HansSlinger said:

The Ship App says Gangway up at 4pm, but that is when we are due to board.  Do we need to get there earlier?

When the Gangway goes up it pretty much means, "Game Over".

If Gangway is up at 4:00 and you come at 4:02 then you likely will become the victim of somebody's YouTube video to be seen by the whole world. Yes, people actually stand on their balconies and record what are called, "runners". In the end the majority of runners end up standing on the pier looking dazed and confused as the ship sails away. Should this scare people? Heck yes it should. For several reasons. This can cost you a lot! You will either have to fly to the next island at your expense or fly home at your expense. What is even more costly is for those traveling with a birth certificate and ID. Yes, this can be done in a closed loop cruise. There is just one problem with this. While you may have saved a few bucks on not getting a passport, you are going to pay dearly for this mistake if you miss the ship. Airlines require passports so you will be stuck on an island dealing with the Embassy trying to fix this big mistake and paying for a hotel, food and airfare for a while until the problem is resolved. If you missed your ship and it is no fault of your own, (an example would be if your transportation on the island broke down and you did not book the tour through the ship) then it may be covered by travel insurance (Which is cheap! Always buy it) 

This is more than you asked for, but I can assume you are first time cruisers and so I'm trying to save you the trouble of costly mistakes. The short answer would be that when the Gangway goes up, nobody else will board and the ship is getting ready to sail. It is always a wise choice to leave your shoes excursion into plenty of time to accommodate for traffic and otherwise to give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship. If you are on one of Royal's excursions they won't leave you behind unless you get off the excursion and go shopping or something and then become late for the ship. If the Gangway goes up at 4:00 I would recommend getting on the ship by 3:30 at the latest.

[pambam]

On 6/29/2023 at 4:32 PM, trmom2 said:

Has anyone paid the fee for one person and ordered Johnny Rockets to go? We haven't been on a Royal Caribbean ship in a long time and we used to do this all the time.

If you can afford a cruise, you should be able to afford the (I believe it's $4.95 fee.) 

It's people who do things like this that have made ships change rules for example the fact that if one person in a stateroom buys a drink package then everyone has to buy a drink package. 

It's a shame that the ship has to change it's rules because people can't be honest.

I'd recommend you just pay for the number of people you are buying food for. It's a VERY reasonable price anyway.

[Pr1612]

 

Its been over 15 years since  i last cruised with Royal.  Has the taking Wine bottles on board the ship rule changed?  Also I have a discount for being silver on the on board intenret is it cheapoer on board with the discout or should i prepurchase it? 

[Biker19]

8 hours ago, Pr1612 said:

Has the taking Wine bottles on board the ship rule changed?

 Also I have a discount for being silver on the on board internet is it cheaper on board with the discount or should I prepurchase it? 

Not really - it changed from two bottles per cabin to one bottle per person.

Very unlikely your on-board discount is any better than the pre-cruise price.

Edited September 6 by Biker19