Unlimited food and posh amenities await you, and its only feet away when youre in the cruise terminal. Unlike Traditional Dining, you will not be seated at the same table . If you are flying to your cruise port, be sure to fly in at least one day before the cruise is scheduled to depart to protect against a travel delay. To redeem this benefit, you just need to email[emailprotected]withyour name, address, confirmation number, ship and sailing date along with a copy of your shareholder proxy card or a current brokerage statement showing proof of share ownership. And it may seem way out of your budget. 90% refund of cruise credits if you Cancel for Any Reason. This makes it easy to undress them poolside, and they can hop right in. Posted January 23, 2012. Having an extra day or two provides a buffer to account for travel delays. To save time and money, you really should pre-book beverage packages, dining packages, internet packages and more. This is basically a forum for discussing your exact sailing with other people booked on it too. This is the perfect time to make dining changes/requests, book activities and specialty restaurants, secure shore excursions, etc. Get Cruise Savvy with our FREE Newsletter! Do you know about when you'd like to sail? Lets look at what some of these early-access programs offer. Smart cruise advice, cruise deals, and breaking news. Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. Kids get special pricing at a specialty restaurant, so buy dining packages only for the adults. If you can check in using the cruise lines app or website the very first day you have a better chance of having an early boarding time. No reservations needed, just walk on in and be seated. Click on the person icon, and it should fire up the camera again. When should I arrive at the cruise port terminal? | Royal Caribbean Cruises Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. Can anyone who has recently been on the Serenade rec. On all ships, check for entertainment reservations once onboard the ship via the Royal Caribbean app. Royal Caribbean has The Key, Carnival has Faster to the Fun, and Norwegian has the Priority Access Pass. The benefits wont always be the same, and you have to fill out a form and wait for approval. Powered by Cruiseline.com. Usually, guests who book The Key are allowed to check-in with the first group (an exact time will be emailed later). Be sure to look up all your benefits, and ensure you use the most lucrative Crown and Anchor Society perks during your sailing so you can reap the best rewards! There's no way to know that's happened without checking manually. Due to government regulations requiring cruise lines to submit final departure . If you are on a Radiance or Quantum Class ship, be sure to enjoy your meals outside while at the Windjammer. For example, a 7 day cruise with the Bella experience will earn you 500 points, while that same cruise with the Aurea experience will net you 1,000 points. Simply check in on the very day availability opens. Arrive early. You'll want to include all of your valuables, medications, and documentation. These are the times of year when demand is less for cruises to certain regions. The simplest and easiest way to get on the ship faster is taking care of the check-in process early. I would love to hearyourtips and tricks! Royal Caribbean shore excursions are fully refundable if your ship cannot dock at a scheduled port. While showing up early can be a problem, coming in later is not as much of a concern. 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. Complimentary Canaps (a French hors doeuvre) on second day. This online check-in is when you choose your port arrival time. When you get the receipt to sign, look for the line item that indicates if an automatic 18% gratuity is already included. 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. Inside a tree trunk, a forest nymph spends its day. Royal Caribbean Travel Insurance - AARDY Getting an early arrival slot means that you can board the ship earlier than . 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. There are a few tricks to scoring early arrival times if you are eager to be one of the first passengers on the ship. There, crewmembers will typically check you in via . It can feel like torture if you have to wait a long time to board your ship. Once we walked to the entrance of Terminal Building A, we saw two separate lines: a LONG line on the left and a short line on the right. Related: A look inside Regent's most expensive cruise ship. 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. And from there the perks just kept coming. Generally speaking, the best price for a Royal Caribbean cruise can be found when booked many months in advance. My kids wear their bathing suits onto the ship underneath their clothes. Love Cruise Fever?Sign Up to Our FREE Newsletter! In the morning, there is an omelet station available. For some folks, that may sound like lunacy to plan a vacation up to two years in advance, but the fact of the matter is employing this strategy is the key to getting a really great price. Embark LocationE6, 448, Ist Floor Gounder Complex, Trichy Road 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. Here are some of the benefits included with this program: Carnival Cruise Line: Faster to the Fun (FTTF). 5 rounds of Hornady SST Lite 12 Gauge 2 3/4" Shotgun Slugs. Children between the ages of 0-5 are complimentary and ages 6-12 are $10 per child at any specialty restaurant. All rights reserved. Plus, the agents at the port wont have to take the extra time to verify your birth certificate. Moreover, the onboard credit is stackable with other discounts Royal Caribbean is offering at the time! Guests can choose boarding times in the afternoon or earlier times of 10:30 or 11:00. All rights reserved. Can I Get Off a Cruise Early in Another Port? (Partial Cruises) I am a stay-at-home mom with an amazing husband and two little girls who keep me busy with gymnastics, soccer, and swimming. Search Multiple Sites at Once Once you board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, youll want to take care of a few chores. 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. As long as the cruise line doesnt make a drastic change to their program you will keep reaping the rewards for every cruise. How soon can you board a cruise ship before departure? You start getting benefits after just one cruise, and you never lose your status. How to Complete Check-In. 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. Things like hats, coverups, important paperwork and more would be ideal. Royal Caribbean does not charge for its shows, nor does it charge for advanced reservations. If you're flying to your cruise, take heed of what happened today as an important reminder of what not to do, We have a quick tip to share on how you can save money on your next Royal Caribbean cruise before you ever set foot on, The Royal Caribbean Blog staff collectively spent over 270 nights on Royal Caribbean ships in 2022. Ren de Lambert (@RenedeLambert) on Flipboard (Sponsored). If you followed our previous advice about arriving to your port city early, then likely your hotel will have a check-out time in the early part of the morning, which is the perfect excuse to head to the cruise port. Did you know that Johnny Rockets is complimentary for breakfast on Oasis Class ships? Suite guests still need to get a check-in time for their sailing, butusuallythey will be give more flexibility in their times. Guests who were sailing in Star Class and had access to a Royal Genie were permitted to move to the front of the line in order to receive the priority boarding that was included in their suite perks. Boarding Requirements FAQ | Royal Caribbean Cruises Sounds great, right? This means you can still be on Royal Caribbean's wifi and use the app, but avoid a huge bill. Many people here, I think, . If you want to have a hassle-free boarding process, its important to stay organized and keep all your important documents organized and easily accessible. What's the first day of a cruise really like? - Cruiseline.com Other families, like mine, like to get the process started as soon as possible. The first time I booked a suite was on Celebrity Silhouette. Instead of arriving to your departure city on the day of your cruise, get in early! When you go on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you have a choice of places to eat throughout the day. (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean) You are staying in a suite. This large room consisted of plenty of seating options, refreshments, and restrooms. Most guests pack their bathing suits in the checked luggage, which means they will not have access to it until later that day. Don't book a cabin one deck above or below a public space, such as a pool, dining room, or bar. As an added bonus, by arriving to your embarkation port at least a day early, that means you get to start your vacation sooner! Here is a list of several cruise lines that offer priority boarding when you gain loyalty status and what it takes to get there: Most of the time if you have priority boarding you will also have priority disembarkation included as well. Corkscrews will be provided for guests to enjoy their drinks in their stateroom. (Make sure you watched and marked off the Safety video in the app the morning of your cruise.). The open house is when you can go to meet the staff, register your kids, and ask any questions. Peak dinner time is between 6:30pm and 8:00pm, so if you plan to dine during these times, reservations are so important. Youll also find a free printable cruise packing list! If you are concerned about the drink package price dropping, take solace in the fact you can always cancel and rebook with no penalty! Not only can a porter help take a load off of you, they can greatly assist with disembarkation and getting you through the terminal faster. Photo Credit: NAN728 / Shutterstock. If you are wondering what time constitutes, "early", we are talking about sometime between 10am and 11:30am. If getting onto your cruise ship as early as possible is important to you these tips above should help. In our experience, most guests see the times for an activity and begin arrivingafterthe scheduled start time. In many cases, Royal Caribbean promises a discount on select pre-cruise purchases compared to the price onboard. On a cruise, your vacation starts as soon as you set foot on your cruise ship. The larger the group, the more important having a reservation is to limiting the wait times. If your schedule allows, the best time to cruise when prices are the lowest are in the off-season and shoulder seasons. So which food is included and which cost extra? 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. Royal Caribbean typically allows cruisers to choose arrival times in thirty-minute blocks as shown in the image below. Royal Caribbean asks its guests to arrive within their check-in window to avoid crowding in the terminal. All rights reserved. How being early is the secret to the best Royal Caribbean cruise, from Hi there! While making a mistake is bound to happen, we can learn from, The proverb, "experience is the best teacher" is a famous proverb ofJulius Caesar, and it applies to so many aspects, While I can't come up with a formula for the perfect cruise for every single person, I can suggest some easy ways to. How early can I board my Royal Caribbean cruise? Looking for the Best Cruise Deals? Each excursion will list the price, details of the activity and any physical or age restrictions. Entertainment is typically included in your cruise fare but on the largest ships, you are required to make reservations. 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. It is wholly owned by parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. The day your cruise begins is full of excitement, and naturally, you may be wondering what time you can board the ship. I will absolutely think twice about taking a cruise from San Juan again, and RCCL as well for that matter. The key is to understand what the ship you're booking has and doesn't have so there's no disappointment later. 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. In this post, we will walk you through the whole embarkation process so that youre prepared for your first day on board. A Royal Loft Suite on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. But given that you must make many decisions during the booking process, it can pay to use a seasoned travel agent who specializes in cruises to help you arrange things. This provides the ability to break up the total cost of the cruise. Is Royal Caribbean's "priority access - Maximize your travel. Luggage and Baggage Rules for Taking a Cruise | Cruzely.com It can, however, still use its WiFi and Bluetooth connections to stay connected, if you so choose. Welcome aboard! You can then save this information and complete the rest of the check-in process at a later date. Cruise fares tend to be lower the sooner you book. Lunch and drink package 3. So the best way to learn about what is offered on your cruise is to check out a past Cruise Compass. I see some people skip this step because they want to save a few bucks on tipping. For instance, although medical marijuana may be legal in parts of the United States, it is not allowed in most part of the Caribbean, and therefore will not be permitted on the ship. Learn the cruise secrets most people don't know and cruise like a boss. (Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas). They also re-wear their embarkation clothes since this first day is typically not dressy at all. When it comes to travel, there are always going to be certain factors involved in the trip that you have no control over: weather, canceled flights, flat tires, and Michael Poole. 2. When you purchase anything before your cruise via the Cruise Planner site, you will be required to pay for it at the time of purchase. Would rather get to port early and board than hang out in a hotel room. Cayman Islands: Who's Who & Business Guide. Taking the time to purchase anything onboard does not take very much time, but every little bit helps, and some purchases on the first day of the cruise can require waiting in a line, such as drink packages. There are two problems with buying The Key for an early check-in. But I have a helpful suggestion. How to Check In for Your Royal Caribbean Cruise in 2022 Be sure to check it. 40 BEST Royal Caribbean tips, tricks & hidden secrets The embarkation process is stressful enough without adding in the guy behind you asking you to hurry things up in the most colorful of ways. Ships embarking on cruises from Amsterdam are docked in one of two places: Felison Terminal, where smaller ships dock, or the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam , where a 10-minute walk will take you to a popular station. As for Royal Caribbean opening up additional earlier times, it's not usually the case. If you encounter problems using Online Check-in, please contact Carnival. Commonly it is expected to tip somewhere around $1-$2 per bag. Weird. Previously, Royal Caribbean permitted a maximum of two 750-milliliter bottles per room. Royal Caribbean Embarkation Tips for Your First Day Every cruise line has its own procedure for when they open up the check-in process. You can actually get hundreds of dollars of onboard credit by simply booking onboard, but the exact amount depends on how long a sailing you book and in which stateroom category. For assistance in navigating Online Check-in or questions on how to fill out the information - contact your travel agent or if booked directly, contact our Service Specialists at 800 327-5782, Monday through Friday, 9:00am-10:00pm ET and Saturday and Sunday, 9:00am-6:00pm . Please note:All guests must be checked-in and onboard the ship no later than 90 minutes prior to the published sailing time or you will not be permitted to sail. Many guests are curious how early they can board a Royal Caribbean ship on embarkation day, so here is a guide for what to expect. Each stateroom may bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne, as long as one guest is of legal drinking age. Now, if youre planning to embark on a closed-loop itinerary that starts and ends in the United States, you can use your birth certificate and legal name change documentation to board. Don't worry, you don't need to buy an internet package to use the Royal Caribbean app. The difference is booking onboard will get you extra onboard credit and reduced deposit. Did you know if one adult elects to buy the unlimited alcohol package, all other adults in the same room have to get it too? Save time on your cruise by getting your kids signed up for Royal Caribbean's complimentary kids programming on the first day of the cruise. The total cost of my cruise for two guests, including gratuities, taxes, and fees, was $1656. Want to know one of the best tips for avoiding the worst cruise ship cabins? Royal Caribbean does not post or publish Cruise Compasses for upcoming sailings in advance. Each ship is packed with adventures . These nifty little secrets can save money, time or both, and so I wanted to whittle them down to thebestRoyal Caribbean tips and tricks in hopes of savingyoutime and money! 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 your return home, you have the ability to select the flight that best suits your schedule. Fax: +1 345 946 8825. Note: MSC Cruises has a status match program, so you can carry over some of the perks you have with another cruise line. It was 6 years ago and I still remember my waiters name. On Voyager, Freedom or Radiance class ships, be sure to visit the helipad for my favorite sailaway spot. An intangible benefit to pre-purchasing anything is it saves you time onboard from doing the exact same thing, which means more vacation time back to you. 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. Several years ago, I decided to start this blog to document our family trips. We completed our Muster Drill requirements immediately after boarding. 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. However, the earlier your arrival time, the sooner you are usually able to embark on the ship. In the weeks leading up to your cruise, be sure to complete online check-in. Once you are ready to begin, completing the Royal Caribbean online check in takes very little time. Most cruise terminals enforce the boarding times, but occasionally you find situations where a particular pier agent doesn't pay attention to the check-in time or say anything about it. Look up your specific cruise line to see exactly how early you can check in and then set an alarm or reminder on your phone for that date. Quick tip: You should always keep one bag with you. We will be flying out . 2023 Mom's Plan-it Vacation Blog - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP, Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbeans Junior Suites, Free Printable Cruise Packing List (with Tips), Guide to Royal Caribbean Ship Classes (2023), Easy Guide to Royal Caribbean Online Check In. If your cruise leaves at a different time than this, check with your cruise line to see what time embarkation begins. Your fellow guests won't notice you wore that pair of jeans or dress from night two. For everyone's sanity, this rule does not apply to cruise ships. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), also known in short as Norwegian, is an American cruise line founded in 1966, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Miami. Unfortunately, there's no wifi coverage in Labadee. The earliest that guests can board a cruise is between 4-5 hours before the ship is scheduled to sail away. Unvaccinated travellers age 5 and If a ship sails a journey to a "nearby" foreign port, a passenger still can't leave the ship permanently at a different U.S. port than the embarkation point (nearby foreign . On my most recent cruise on Oasis of the Seas, my family and I had junior suites booked with a 10:30 am port arrival time. Two brothers started Cruise Fever in 2011 when they decided they couldn't stop cruising so they might as well write about it. We enjoy being on the ship early to take advantage of as much time on board as possible. . If that statement does not make a whole lot of sense yet, check out the five steps we outlined in this post to demonstrate why being early will help you have a great cruise. You will not have to start over! We have spent years sharing tips, secrets and strategies on this blog about taking a better and more fun Royal Caribbean cruise, and we discovered there is one common thread among so many of our best tips: being early. 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). Royal Caribbean offers all guests the option to bring their own luggage (rather than have their luggage delivered to the terminal) and leave the ship anytime once customs officials clear the ship. The moms in our group then ran errands to take care of some items. 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. You can enjoy a lineup of adventures on a Royal Caribbean cruise from Day One, like the North Star observation capsule, ice skating and more. And again, this just slows down that quick embarkation process. For instance, with Royal Caribbeans app you can simply pick your check-in time, add some basic information and come back later to complete the rest. [Subscribe fo. $250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights, $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 to 13 nights, $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less.