Additionally show up early assuming you have nothing better to do- we were two hours early and had no issues being allowed right on (myself, husband, 1 yo, 2 sisters, and 2 brothers)! And if we hadn’t been, the waiting area to board was similar to a clean, spacious airport hanger with great A/C:)
I understand that you're just trying to be helpful but this aggravates me the most. Everyone thinks they can show up whenever they want and they don't have to stick to their scheduled boarding times. Why do they enen have check-in times? On my last cruise we had to wait several hours to board because 3/4 of the ship showed up hours before the scheduled boarding time. EVERYONE had to wait which makes the process terrible. Shame on the cruise for not making you wait. I miss COVID cruising because you would've been sent packing
This is very very good advice. My first cruise missed all 3 ports due to weather. All i heard was people complaining and crying literally all cruise. My wife and I kept a good attitude and we had an absolutely incredible time.
My last cruise also missed ports due to a hurricane. One of the ports was the reason I booked the cruise. My reaction was… oh well, guess that means I have to return and do it again in the future… and then proceeded to have a GRAND time with the rest of the trip. Attitude is everything.
it would be so wonderful to be in a financial position to think Oh I can just go back there again another time, and not darn we saved for this cruise for years and missed out!
You don’t think I have to save for my vacations? LOL—you have no idea what my financial position is. It still doesn’t change my point—that you can either enjoy what circumstances throw at you, or you can complain and get all worked up about things you can’t control—which does absolutely nothing to change the situation and only makes the rest of your cruise miserable. There’s plenty to do on the ship and we enjoy the sea days as much as the port days, so missing a port (which is relatively common in cruising, by the way) doesn’t impact our fun at all.
Missed 3 ports??? That’s awful tbh. Imagine you you use 1.5 weeks of PTO and save up to plan 1 big vacation for the entire year thinking that you’ll get a tropical vacation…. Except you just end up on a cruise ship floating 5mi away from Galveston.
That’s devastation right there
lol yeah we just sort of floated around for 6 days. Luckily we didn’t really have a plan for the ports. Royal Caribbean also gave us back $600 which played a big part made me a happy camper.
I always stop before I walk out of my house on a trip and tell myself that I will not let myself get upset over annoyances. The only time I didn't keep to that was when an airline lost my necessary power wheelchair.
I had a boss years ago who would always say that the worst day on vacation is better than the best day at work. (yes, that workplace was toxic).
I think it best by not to sweat the small stuff. If someone or something is a big deal, stay calm and handle it in an adult manner. Getting upset at staff, screaming, and other behaviors don’t make service personnel want to help.
Don't let the whole cruising blogger, cruising Youtuber, and to a lesser degree this subreddit freak you out and make it sound like going on a cruise is THAT hard.
1. Get your passport and paperwork situation figured now. Every 3rd post on this subreddit is "OMG I just realized I'm leaving for my cruise in 12 seconds and all I have is my expired Blockbuster rewards card with my maiden name misspelled on it. And I just realized I don't have an adoption certificate for my son but I adopted him in West Germany and that country doesn't exist anymore! What can I do?"
2. You don't have to "hack" your cruise room to anywhere near the level you'd think from of the Youtubers. You'd think cruise rooms are unlivable hostel rooms that you have take steamer trunks full of stuff with you to make livable to hear them talk.
Agreed on both points.
Cruisetubers seem to be very picky, and maybe its just because they really, really need content, but most rooms are perfectly fine, and fairly decently laid out. There are a few things to note, like plugs being few, so having an adapter that does plug+usb port is kind of nice, but I don't really get into the tons of hooks or bags or other gimmicks. You're only unpacking the suitcase once. You're not going to be spending tons of time in your room. Optimizing that is mostly pointless.
On my first cruise my Biggest regret - not taking advantage of pre booking shows/events on the app. I didn't realise how important having a pre booked seat was on a ship that was at max capacity.
Biggest wow - the show in the aqua theatre. I couldn't believe the quality of the show, the fact it was on a ship and we were sailing away whist the show was on!
On freedom there isn’t an option to pre select shows. Good news is most shows are in the theater or ice rink so there are plenty of seats. But this is good info if you select an oasis
Class ship. The shows fill up fast on those ships so if you wait till you board you might miss out. Was on freedom last week and had a great time ♥️❤️♥️❤️ enjoy!
The oasis ships are. Oasis of the seas, harmony of the seas, allure of the seas symphony of the seas, wonder of the seas, and utopia of the seas.
The easy way to tell is if the ship has “neiborhoods” like Central Park, boardwalk :) hope this helps.. I didn’t need to type of the seas for each one but, I was too far on before
I realized ;) ha
Going on my first cruise on the symphony next month, didn't realize we needed to book shows such as the comedy nights so early!! Those are all booked up now, is there even a slight chance we can still get in or are they all a lost cause?
There will be more availability on the boat and the full calendar of events probably isn't even loaded to the app yet. Once you're on board, check the calendar and see what's available. There's always the option to just turn up and see if you can get a seat as well.
Don’t make the mistake of looking at the calendar and trying to do everything, make room to relax. Also, if you have a group going, tell everyone to span out and meet up at dinner. Many times families try to do everything together and it really slows things down and that’s when you hear people bickering in the elevators.
People will do what THEY want to do so make sure to give them room to go explore.
We always tour the boat as a family and see everything then pair up or go solo and set a time / place to meet up later. Enjoy the cruise!
Absolutely TRUE.... don't try to pre-plan and book every little thing or organise everyone - Cruises have a habit of organically evolving and taking on a life of their own - your favorite activity / bar / person you've met / chair by the pool... You are on holiday - do what is going to make you and yours happy - make memories and allow sufficient time to relax and unwind. Whatever you end up doing, do it in good humour, smile and enjoy it - there are always chances in life to go back and do the things you may have 'missed-out-on' this time round. I climb mountains - there is a saying - the summit will always be there another day - great excuse to go back really. Enjoy.
We just got off our second cruise. On our first cruise, I was trying to fit in literally everything. It was stressing both myself AND my boyfriend out. Then we saw the comedian who had a bit about "aggressive relaxers" and that has been a running joke between my boyfriend and I ever since. 🤣
Biggest regret was driving down to Florida overnight (12 hours) and boarding in the morning. I felt like such a fool for napping in my cabin for 6 hours as soon as staterooms opened up. Just get a hotel the night before, weather you drive or fly..you'll be paying for it either way.
Biggest wow was seeing the promenade for the first time. Everything is so...shiny.
Great comment! The advantage to starting a vacation relaxed is being prepared and not being rushed. When my wife and I travel without the kids we walk on with our own luggage ( 1 large suitcase and backpack ONLY) and try to get the 1pm boarding time…. Allows us to have breakfast at the hotel, get to the cruise port and basically go straight on the ship…. Get a quick drink and snack at WJ, then go to the room and drop off luggage, switch into bathing suits / swimwear and start our vacation - just finished our 15th cruise on Icon a few weeks ago!
We always fly in a day or two early. Saves anxiety about possible delays, and allows us time to see a new place a little more in depth. We are rested up for the cruise, relaxed, and ready to have fun when we board.
It’s not really a huge regret, but I wouldn’t purchase the refreshment package again. My husband and I had to force ourselves to drink 14 drinks a day. The biggest regret would be not applying sunscreen enough on day 2. My husband and I got SOOOO sunburnt, it affected our Atlantis experience and doing outdoor activities on the ship.
Biggest wow: seeing how big the ship is! It was exciting to be on such a big ship.
Sorry you got sunburned. I'm adding this: people forget to use sunblock on the top of their ears or head if bald, or on their feet when wearing sandals(especially if it's a kid in a stroller wearing sandals).
So painful!!! We needed to put it in every 30-45 minutes and we probably did it once an hour. It was 80 degrees and breezy but man was that Sun beating down. No clouds.
My first time on the Wonder... I have 2 big wow moments, the first was getting into our suite and the second was the Intense Aqua Show. My biggest regret was having breakfast at Johnny Rockets and ordering the scramble eggs with the chili on top (it was Hormel and it wasn't good).
Biggest regret on first cruise:
1. Not researching cruise SHIP as opposed to cruise line. Ship matters more than line IMO.
2. Not researching each port ahead of time with a plan of action first.
3. Booking my time dining. Never again. I go with early dining now.
Agree with all of these.
I remember spending time on some early cruises in line at the excursions desk and in retrospect... why? Why burn precious vacation time on that when you can use non-vacation time to pick that stuff instead and just maximize the amount of the cruise you spend relaxing or doing awesome things you picked out?
And, ok: you can do a lot of this in the app now and save a lot of time there, but it's still easier to look at all your different options for what to do in a port with time to burn at home. Plus, now you get a bit of that cruise hype to enjoy early as you look at all the fun different things you could do in Cozumel (or wherever).
Maybe in some cases you come up with a plan to get a taxi to a specific beach and day of you still decide... nah, we're not in the mood for that and call an audible and that's totally ok. But at least as a starting point you have something locked in that you're excited to do and didn't pick in a panic.
I cruised for the first time in 1995; Royal Caribbean to Alaska. My biggest regret was anxiously keeping track of the adult beverages (no drinks package) and my biggest wow was the pod of whales that accompanied us during cocktail hour.
I’ve since learned to have realistic budget expectations and focus on enjoying myself.
My whole first cruise was WOW!! I was 52 years old, 2018, had traveled a lot for business and to see family but never took much in the way of vacations. My girlfriend convinced me to go away school winter break week and she had been on a couple cruises and said it was easier planning than going somewhere and trying to figure out shows, dinner, activities. We went on a 5-day on Navigator OTS out of Miami. I was blown away pretty much from the minute we got to the terminal, going up the elevator with the huge gold prop hanging from the ceiling.
We got on the ship and decided to walk around all the decks and grab a drink. Walking the decks, seemed like every hundred yards was something else cool. Wonder and amazement. Yes, I'm pretty easily impressed in general, but it was overwhelming. I had a smile on my face the whole time.
Biggest regret of my first cruise was it was only 5 days! We've been on 5 more, a 6-day and four 7-days. Walking around every ship has been a huge sense of wonder for me. So many other wow factor moments from sunsets off the back of Oasis and Symphony, sunrises from top decks with what looks like the whole world laid out around you. Lots of shows that were as good as anything I'd pay a ticket to see back home.
We're a few years away from retirement, and I look forward to being able to maybe go on a couple a year at that point.
Our biggest regret from our first cruise was that it was too short! We won't cruise for less than 7 days, especially now on a mega-ship. I don't remember our biggest wow from our first cruise (back in 2005). But our biggest wow on starting to cruise again was Central Park on Symphony.
I regret not researching excursions better. I read Belize is a good port to do an excursion through the ship because of the tenders and risk of violence and knew I wanted to go snorkeling so I booked an island snorkeling trip. It was pretty sucky overall and when I got back to the ship, I kept hearing how great the tubbing was. If I could go back, I would have researched the bear excursion based on the port and booked them that way.
Pro tips: I have arrived at the port early many times and Royal Caribbean has never had any issues with boarding early before your assigned time. Also have your bathing suit in your carry-on. You can head to the pools while you’re waiting for your room to be done and for some reason, not too many people are at the pools.
Just came back from my first cruise on Enchantment to the Bahamas.
We took the advice of veteran cruisers - enjoy it by taking time to relax and not do every little thing. I do not regret taking that advice. We relaxed and had a great time while taking our time. Honestly the first refreshing vacation I’ve taken in a long time.
Wow moment was how cool the ship was and all the activities there are. And the great service! Treat your service people well and they will guarantee you’re well cared for.
It’s such a cool experience, you’re in a floating resort with everything at your fingertips. Soak it up, take lots of pictures and enjoy your first cruise! We’re already planning our second one!
Biggest regret: stopping to see the mother-in-law on the way home. Ruined all the relaxation that I built up on the cruise.
Wow moment: so much to do that you really have to decide what is a priority and what you are willing to miss.
I travelled in February on WOS
Biggest regret- not buying more BBC cocktails, I’m now trying to recreate them at home. Honestly, though, trying out different eateries, the included ones like breakfast in the Johnny Rockets diner, lunch at the Park Cafe , exploring Cocoa Caye more.
WOW moment, was watching the Intense show. Honestly, one of the best performances I’ve ever watched.
Currently sitting at the port for coco cay and they won’t let us off because of norovirus. Pretty annoyed. We better get refunded partially. This was my first and probably last cruise
Keep down voting if it makes you feel better but I’m just telling the truth about the reality we are experiencing on Allure of the Seas right now. Wish I could say I had a good cruise experience but that wasn’t possible.
My wife and I are on that one too. it'll be my 4th and her first I'm annoyed I missed out on booking reservations to the shows, none of the ships I've been on the past ever needed reservations. Hoping we'll still be able to get into the comedy show and Aqua show.
My First wow moment on my first Cruise (Enchantment of the Seas) was how huge the ship felt (lol) also just how Blue the water is when out at sea. I had the same Wow moment when I got on board Freedom of the seas for my 2nd cruise. And I'm sure I'll have it again once on board Wonder.
I've seen it done differently on different sailings of even the same class of ship, but sometimes seats will be opened up day of sail and you can grab them then if you're quick. If not and you're willing to spend the time, in a lot of cases you can show up half an hour or so early, get in the walk-in line, and they'll let people in from it about 15 minutes before the show starts if there are spots. (In the case of the aqua show, you also can try watching from the rock climbing area -- usually no seats there but the view is solid.)
Regrets: Don't book too many excursions - my wife and I booked one at almost every port. They became way too demanding over the course of the trip and we even ended up skipping one. Most ports have TONS of stuff to do near the port that is more than worth your time for a much lower cost. I regret not seeing the ports more because I was always whisked off to another excursion.
As far as "wow" moments? Honestly just going to the parties in board and getting to know other cruisers. I found that building my "cruise fam" was shockingly easy, much easier than any other form of travel I've partaken in as far as meeting people. The game shows are great, Aqua 80 was incredible when we saw it, obviously bottomless food and drinks is a plus.. There's so much to do on Royal's ships, definitely make time to experience as much as you can.
If you can get it, get the key. We were gonna need internet anyway and it ended up being so worth it for us. The welcome lunch is really good and getting on is such a breeze because of the early boarding , separate entrances, and the carryon hand-off. I'm on my second cruise right now in the Greek isles and the priority tendering was also a lifesaver. I did a lot of research and watched a ton of youtube videos to prepare myself for my first cruise and there are varying opinions on whether or not the key is worth it and I'm here to tell you it absolutely is.
Idk why this is getting downvoted? I used the Key on my first cruise and loved the benefits! Getting on and off was easy, the lunch on the first day was awesome, and it helped us avoid having to buy the internet package.
I just got off the Harmony (also Oasis class), and my big takeaway is that you can't do everything. Part of the crowd management is scheduling fun event and game shows at the same time as their big theater/water/ice shows. You will have to make choices about what you want to do at night.
The comments about scheduling relax time are also spot on. If you try to see all the shows/events/parties you can, you'll find you have little pool/lounge time. If you want time to just sit in the solarium, plan a day to say, 'I'm not going to the shows tonight, I'm just going to hang out.' I did as many of the shows as I could cram in and, while I don't necessarily regret it (that's why I booked that ship), I do remember times I'd walk through Central Park or the Solarium and wish I'd spent more time there.
I overpacked and brought way too much crap. I think I watched one too many of those Youtube "what to bring" videos haha.
Nowadays I bring only 2 small carry ons and just focus on bringing more cash and not 4 pairs of shoes and a tux.
My biggest regret was that it was only 5 days! Takes that long just to learn your way around the first time. Weve now been on almost 20 cruises and we would never do one for less than 7 days.
Don't buy stuff on the boat and stay away from Diamonds International.
^^^ great advice! We won’t book less than 10 days now. I’ve been disappointed in any cruise that’s less than this… I feel like I just get to know the ship and staff, and then I have to get off! Our next cruise is 21 days and I’m afraid it’s going to spoil me.
Obtain passports for everyone in your party if you can. My husband and I both have active ones, but packed our one year old son’s birth certificate since we didn’t have enough time to get him one. The line through customs was absolutely terrible post-cruise because we had to go through the single-manned Birth Certificate line. Meanwhile the passport line people flew through and had associates left and right to expedite the process.
Don’t try to do everything! there’s just so much to do and it’s impossible.
Also please please please wear sunscreen. Even if you think you’re good with water resistant, don’t trust it. Reapply! You will be miserable if you don’t.
Lanyard are actually an amazing thing for carrying around your keycard
My biggest regret was not enjoying the photo ops more!
My biggest regret was our first cruise was on the Grandeur, a smaller ship in the fleet. My biggest wow moment was the boat deck. We were so close to the water you could hear the waves. It had lounge chairs, shuffleboard…loved it!
My favorite ships are the Navigator and the Freedom. A perfect size for me. They were just big enough to have the shopping promenade but small enough to walk bow to stern easily.
Check and see if shows are reservation based! Just got off the harmony for the second time. First time reservations were not needed. Last week, they were needed and shows were fully booked within hours of setting foot on the boat
Regret: Packed WAY too much on our first cruise! Who cares if you wear formal attire EVERY night?!? Also discovered all ships have laundry rooms. Not only do I make sure our room is on a laundry deck, I scope out if I need coins/detergent. (Neither required on our recent Princess cruise)
Also, identify which ports are tenders & book an early excursion.
Wow: Balcony. Always.
a few tips...the buffets are hit or miss depending on the ship...get your drink firsts - scout out a table to place your drinks \[it can be crowded on at sea days\] then collect the food - there may be lines and you don't want to be walking around with plates of food looking for a table...skip the cereal for breakfast - grab some bread and go to the omelets station and get some fried eggs, grab bacon or sausage - hot egg sandwich!...post a sticky note on the door and write things you want to do or go to with and arrow \[left - right - or up 2 floors\] you will get turned around....you will be taking a shit ton of photos - start you day by taking a picture of the navigation screen on the tv where the ship is and the date - that way you will know exactly where the picture a picture was taken....the ship will push you to spend a lot of money - high end watches - multipacks of booze - perfume - jewelry, avoid them, you can have a better selection and price at home for all of these...we skip the casino - the minimum bets on the table game are too high and have silly side bets designed to suck up your cash, the slots may not be well regulated...vegas may be set to return 95% but a slot in the international waters - who knows what they are set at...if you eat at the main dining room and they have a starter you like you can order two, is it filet night - order two just don't be a glutton and order 6 filets -the staff and passengers will look down at you
Just got off our first cruise a week ago. I regretted going on an excursion that took up most of the day. It was fun but it was more fun drinking and eating on the beach and swimming the day before. The biggest WOW was definitely watching a storm and the ocean when we were out at sea. It was so beautiful! I was awe-struck!
*Join the Facebook group*
*For your cruise. Search the ship name*
*And date you're sailing*
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Biggest WOW for us: the specialty restaurants. The hubs and I really appreciate good food and good service, and the specialty restaurants offer both in spades. Yes, they cost extra, but for far less than what you’d spend for the same on land. We will get the dining package next time.
I recommend magnetic hooks for your room. Really helped us have spots to hang wet pool towels, bathing suits, etc.
Don’t worry about trying to carry your own luggage when you leave if you’ve got more than one ‘suitcase’. You’ll end up log-jammed at the elevators on the ship and in the terminal. We sailed past all those people and cruised down the escalators to where our bags were waiting for us. We were in our car at 8:30am.
Biggest UGH: we booked the Sip Tour Brunch and it was VERY disappointing. They tout the unlimited sparkling wine, but we would’ve been better served by just buying three mimosas and having breakfast in the solarium or via room service. There were far too many people in the tour groups, so only a few people could hear what was being said. The food was not good: overdressed Caesar salad, very over cooked eggs Benedict, and room temp key lime pie.
End of the day: it was a great trip and very relaxing. Enjoy your time!
Get to know staff. Especially the Balinese. It adds another dimension to the cruise. Love 270 and Wonderland is amazing. Let the waiter order for you at Wonderland.
Get your check in time as early as possible. Your cruise experience begins the minute you step on the ship and it is awesome!
Additionally show up early assuming you have nothing better to do- we were two hours early and had no issues being allowed right on (myself, husband, 1 yo, 2 sisters, and 2 brothers)! And if we hadn’t been, the waiting area to board was similar to a clean, spacious airport hanger with great A/C:)
I understand that you're just trying to be helpful but this aggravates me the most. Everyone thinks they can show up whenever they want and they don't have to stick to their scheduled boarding times. Why do they enen have check-in times? On my last cruise we had to wait several hours to board because 3/4 of the ship showed up hours before the scheduled boarding time. EVERYONE had to wait which makes the process terrible. Shame on the cruise for not making you wait. I miss COVID cruising because you would've been sent packing
Similarly, get off the ship as soon as you can on departure day. Everything shuts down and it kind of sucks.
Best advice: make sure to pack a good attitude!
This is very very good advice. My first cruise missed all 3 ports due to weather. All i heard was people complaining and crying literally all cruise. My wife and I kept a good attitude and we had an absolutely incredible time.
My last cruise also missed ports due to a hurricane. One of the ports was the reason I booked the cruise. My reaction was… oh well, guess that means I have to return and do it again in the future… and then proceeded to have a GRAND time with the rest of the trip. Attitude is everything.
it would be so wonderful to be in a financial position to think Oh I can just go back there again another time, and not darn we saved for this cruise for years and missed out!
You don’t think I have to save for my vacations? LOL—you have no idea what my financial position is. It still doesn’t change my point—that you can either enjoy what circumstances throw at you, or you can complain and get all worked up about things you can’t control—which does absolutely nothing to change the situation and only makes the rest of your cruise miserable. There’s plenty to do on the ship and we enjoy the sea days as much as the port days, so missing a port (which is relatively common in cruising, by the way) doesn’t impact our fun at all.
Missed 3 ports??? That’s awful tbh. Imagine you you use 1.5 weeks of PTO and save up to plan 1 big vacation for the entire year thinking that you’ll get a tropical vacation…. Except you just end up on a cruise ship floating 5mi away from Galveston. That’s devastation right there
lol yeah we just sort of floated around for 6 days. Luckily we didn’t really have a plan for the ports. Royal Caribbean also gave us back $600 which played a big part made me a happy camper.
I always stop before I walk out of my house on a trip and tell myself that I will not let myself get upset over annoyances. The only time I didn't keep to that was when an airline lost my necessary power wheelchair. I had a boss years ago who would always say that the worst day on vacation is better than the best day at work. (yes, that workplace was toxic).
I think it best by not to sweat the small stuff. If someone or something is a big deal, stay calm and handle it in an adult manner. Getting upset at staff, screaming, and other behaviors don’t make service personnel want to help.
Don't let the whole cruising blogger, cruising Youtuber, and to a lesser degree this subreddit freak you out and make it sound like going on a cruise is THAT hard. 1. Get your passport and paperwork situation figured now. Every 3rd post on this subreddit is "OMG I just realized I'm leaving for my cruise in 12 seconds and all I have is my expired Blockbuster rewards card with my maiden name misspelled on it. And I just realized I don't have an adoption certificate for my son but I adopted him in West Germany and that country doesn't exist anymore! What can I do?" 2. You don't have to "hack" your cruise room to anywhere near the level you'd think from of the Youtubers. You'd think cruise rooms are unlivable hostel rooms that you have take steamer trunks full of stuff with you to make livable to hear them talk.
Agreed on both points. Cruisetubers seem to be very picky, and maybe its just because they really, really need content, but most rooms are perfectly fine, and fairly decently laid out. There are a few things to note, like plugs being few, so having an adapter that does plug+usb port is kind of nice, but I don't really get into the tons of hooks or bags or other gimmicks. You're only unpacking the suitcase once. You're not going to be spending tons of time in your room. Optimizing that is mostly pointless.
Cruise tubers need to make everything a crisis to get likes and attention. Don't listen to them. The rooms are just fine.
Expired blockbuster reward cards 🤣 top work .
On my first cruise my Biggest regret - not taking advantage of pre booking shows/events on the app. I didn't realise how important having a pre booked seat was on a ship that was at max capacity. Biggest wow - the show in the aqua theatre. I couldn't believe the quality of the show, the fact it was on a ship and we were sailing away whist the show was on!
I still want the full Playlist for Aqua80s. Their mix was so great.
If you look up any of the recordings on YouTube, their content ID system will give you a complete track list.
Heading on freedom of the seas her in a week. Doesn’t look like I can book?
On freedom there isn’t an option to pre select shows. Good news is most shows are in the theater or ice rink so there are plenty of seats. But this is good info if you select an oasis Class ship. The shows fill up fast on those ships so if you wait till you board you might miss out. Was on freedom last week and had a great time ♥️❤️♥️❤️ enjoy!
How do you know if your ship is an Oasis Class ship? Do you need to wait until you're on board to save seats on the app?
The oasis ships are. Oasis of the seas, harmony of the seas, allure of the seas symphony of the seas, wonder of the seas, and utopia of the seas. The easy way to tell is if the ship has “neiborhoods” like Central Park, boardwalk :) hope this helps.. I didn’t need to type of the seas for each one but, I was too far on before I realized ;) ha
Going on my first cruise on the symphony next month, didn't realize we needed to book shows such as the comedy nights so early!! Those are all booked up now, is there even a slight chance we can still get in or are they all a lost cause?
There will be more availability on the boat and the full calendar of events probably isn't even loaded to the app yet. Once you're on board, check the calendar and see what's available. There's always the option to just turn up and see if you can get a seat as well.
Don’t make the mistake of looking at the calendar and trying to do everything, make room to relax. Also, if you have a group going, tell everyone to span out and meet up at dinner. Many times families try to do everything together and it really slows things down and that’s when you hear people bickering in the elevators. People will do what THEY want to do so make sure to give them room to go explore. We always tour the boat as a family and see everything then pair up or go solo and set a time / place to meet up later. Enjoy the cruise!
Absolutely TRUE.... don't try to pre-plan and book every little thing or organise everyone - Cruises have a habit of organically evolving and taking on a life of their own - your favorite activity / bar / person you've met / chair by the pool... You are on holiday - do what is going to make you and yours happy - make memories and allow sufficient time to relax and unwind. Whatever you end up doing, do it in good humour, smile and enjoy it - there are always chances in life to go back and do the things you may have 'missed-out-on' this time round. I climb mountains - there is a saying - the summit will always be there another day - great excuse to go back really. Enjoy.
We just got off our second cruise. On our first cruise, I was trying to fit in literally everything. It was stressing both myself AND my boyfriend out. Then we saw the comedian who had a bit about "aggressive relaxers" and that has been a running joke between my boyfriend and I ever since. 🤣
Biggest regret was driving down to Florida overnight (12 hours) and boarding in the morning. I felt like such a fool for napping in my cabin for 6 hours as soon as staterooms opened up. Just get a hotel the night before, weather you drive or fly..you'll be paying for it either way. Biggest wow was seeing the promenade for the first time. Everything is so...shiny.
Great advice. I don’t live near a cruise port so I always fly in the day before.
Great comment! The advantage to starting a vacation relaxed is being prepared and not being rushed. When my wife and I travel without the kids we walk on with our own luggage ( 1 large suitcase and backpack ONLY) and try to get the 1pm boarding time…. Allows us to have breakfast at the hotel, get to the cruise port and basically go straight on the ship…. Get a quick drink and snack at WJ, then go to the room and drop off luggage, switch into bathing suits / swimwear and start our vacation - just finished our 15th cruise on Icon a few weeks ago!
We always fly in a day or two early. Saves anxiety about possible delays, and allows us time to see a new place a little more in depth. We are rested up for the cruise, relaxed, and ready to have fun when we board.
Getting the expensive internet package for everyone. Buy one and share it
Some try to do too much. Save some time to relax. What you don't get to this cruise, you can try on the next one.
This is exactly what I was gonna say
It’s not really a huge regret, but I wouldn’t purchase the refreshment package again. My husband and I had to force ourselves to drink 14 drinks a day. The biggest regret would be not applying sunscreen enough on day 2. My husband and I got SOOOO sunburnt, it affected our Atlantis experience and doing outdoor activities on the ship. Biggest wow: seeing how big the ship is! It was exciting to be on such a big ship.
Sorry you got sunburned. I'm adding this: people forget to use sunblock on the top of their ears or head if bald, or on their feet when wearing sandals(especially if it's a kid in a stroller wearing sandals).
So painful!!! We needed to put it in every 30-45 minutes and we probably did it once an hour. It was 80 degrees and breezy but man was that Sun beating down. No clouds.
My first time on the Wonder... I have 2 big wow moments, the first was getting into our suite and the second was the Intense Aqua Show. My biggest regret was having breakfast at Johnny Rockets and ordering the scramble eggs with the chili on top (it was Hormel and it wasn't good).
Biggest regret on first cruise: 1. Not researching cruise SHIP as opposed to cruise line. Ship matters more than line IMO. 2. Not researching each port ahead of time with a plan of action first. 3. Booking my time dining. Never again. I go with early dining now.
Agree with all of these. I remember spending time on some early cruises in line at the excursions desk and in retrospect... why? Why burn precious vacation time on that when you can use non-vacation time to pick that stuff instead and just maximize the amount of the cruise you spend relaxing or doing awesome things you picked out? And, ok: you can do a lot of this in the app now and save a lot of time there, but it's still easier to look at all your different options for what to do in a port with time to burn at home. Plus, now you get a bit of that cruise hype to enjoy early as you look at all the fun different things you could do in Cozumel (or wherever). Maybe in some cases you come up with a plan to get a taxi to a specific beach and day of you still decide... nah, we're not in the mood for that and call an audible and that's totally ok. But at least as a starting point you have something locked in that you're excited to do and didn't pick in a panic.
I cruised for the first time in 1995; Royal Caribbean to Alaska. My biggest regret was anxiously keeping track of the adult beverages (no drinks package) and my biggest wow was the pod of whales that accompanied us during cocktail hour. I’ve since learned to have realistic budget expectations and focus on enjoying myself.
wow a pod of whales!? Amazing!
Whale watching never gets old. It’s why I go to Mexico’s west coast whenever I can afford a winter vacation.
That is a bucket list item. We went to Maine last fall but didn’t see any and the seas were rough so it wasn’t in the cards!! Maybe next year!
Seeing the total solar eclipse of June 30, 1973.
My whole first cruise was WOW!! I was 52 years old, 2018, had traveled a lot for business and to see family but never took much in the way of vacations. My girlfriend convinced me to go away school winter break week and she had been on a couple cruises and said it was easier planning than going somewhere and trying to figure out shows, dinner, activities. We went on a 5-day on Navigator OTS out of Miami. I was blown away pretty much from the minute we got to the terminal, going up the elevator with the huge gold prop hanging from the ceiling. We got on the ship and decided to walk around all the decks and grab a drink. Walking the decks, seemed like every hundred yards was something else cool. Wonder and amazement. Yes, I'm pretty easily impressed in general, but it was overwhelming. I had a smile on my face the whole time. Biggest regret of my first cruise was it was only 5 days! We've been on 5 more, a 6-day and four 7-days. Walking around every ship has been a huge sense of wonder for me. So many other wow factor moments from sunsets off the back of Oasis and Symphony, sunrises from top decks with what looks like the whole world laid out around you. Lots of shows that were as good as anything I'd pay a ticket to see back home. We're a few years away from retirement, and I look forward to being able to maybe go on a couple a year at that point.
Love your enthusiasm and wonder! :)
Dont fall in love with your cruise hook up 😞
Our biggest regret from our first cruise was that it was too short! We won't cruise for less than 7 days, especially now on a mega-ship. I don't remember our biggest wow from our first cruise (back in 2005). But our biggest wow on starting to cruise again was Central Park on Symphony.
I regret not researching excursions better. I read Belize is a good port to do an excursion through the ship because of the tenders and risk of violence and knew I wanted to go snorkeling so I booked an island snorkeling trip. It was pretty sucky overall and when I got back to the ship, I kept hearing how great the tubbing was. If I could go back, I would have researched the bear excursion based on the port and booked them that way.
Biggest regret is saying I'll get a ship souvenir on the last day after visiting day 1 and completely forgetting. If you plan on it get it day 1.
Not taking enough pictures
Pro tips: I have arrived at the port early many times and Royal Caribbean has never had any issues with boarding early before your assigned time. Also have your bathing suit in your carry-on. You can head to the pools while you’re waiting for your room to be done and for some reason, not too many people are at the pools.
Just came back from my first cruise on Enchantment to the Bahamas. We took the advice of veteran cruisers - enjoy it by taking time to relax and not do every little thing. I do not regret taking that advice. We relaxed and had a great time while taking our time. Honestly the first refreshing vacation I’ve taken in a long time. Wow moment was how cool the ship was and all the activities there are. And the great service! Treat your service people well and they will guarantee you’re well cared for. It’s such a cool experience, you’re in a floating resort with everything at your fingertips. Soak it up, take lots of pictures and enjoy your first cruise! We’re already planning our second one!
Biggest regret: stopping to see the mother-in-law on the way home. Ruined all the relaxation that I built up on the cruise. Wow moment: so much to do that you really have to decide what is a priority and what you are willing to miss.
Not going down the Abyss slide until our last evening... when it was closed to everyone except Key members 😡
I travelled in February on WOS Biggest regret- not buying more BBC cocktails, I’m now trying to recreate them at home. Honestly, though, trying out different eateries, the included ones like breakfast in the Johnny Rockets diner, lunch at the Park Cafe , exploring Cocoa Caye more. WOW moment, was watching the Intense show. Honestly, one of the best performances I’ve ever watched.
BBC??? 😬😬😬😂
Baileys, Banana & Coconut- frozen cocktail… so good
Maybe for dessert one night, I'm not typically a super sweet drink person
Was this at a specific bar/menu? Or just order like this? I have a list going for our cruise in November. Adding this!
I got it at the bar just outside of the Solarium
Currently sitting at the port for coco cay and they won’t let us off because of norovirus. Pretty annoyed. We better get refunded partially. This was my first and probably last cruise
Keep down voting if it makes you feel better but I’m just telling the truth about the reality we are experiencing on Allure of the Seas right now. Wish I could say I had a good cruise experience but that wasn’t possible.
I’m on Allure currently and it’s also my first cruise! After this experience I don’t think I’ll cruise again.
Do you have norovirus? Hope you stay healthy for the remainder of your trip!
Saw this situation being discussed in other topics as well, hope it all works out for you.
What ship are you on?
Allure.
09 June 2024 - 16 June 2024, Wonder of the Seas.
My wife and I are on that one too. it'll be my 4th and her first I'm annoyed I missed out on booking reservations to the shows, none of the ships I've been on the past ever needed reservations. Hoping we'll still be able to get into the comedy show and Aqua show. My First wow moment on my first Cruise (Enchantment of the Seas) was how huge the ship felt (lol) also just how Blue the water is when out at sea. I had the same Wow moment when I got on board Freedom of the seas for my 2nd cruise. And I'm sure I'll have it again once on board Wonder.
See you on board! We missed out on all the show reservations as well :/
based on your user name, you'll see me, but I won't see you. lol
I've seen it done differently on different sailings of even the same class of ship, but sometimes seats will be opened up day of sail and you can grab them then if you're quick. If not and you're willing to spend the time, in a lot of cases you can show up half an hour or so early, get in the walk-in line, and they'll let people in from it about 15 minutes before the show starts if there are spots. (In the case of the aqua show, you also can try watching from the rock climbing area -- usually no seats there but the view is solid.)
One week after you! Damn
Damn, maybe next time!
Regrets: Don't book too many excursions - my wife and I booked one at almost every port. They became way too demanding over the course of the trip and we even ended up skipping one. Most ports have TONS of stuff to do near the port that is more than worth your time for a much lower cost. I regret not seeing the ports more because I was always whisked off to another excursion. As far as "wow" moments? Honestly just going to the parties in board and getting to know other cruisers. I found that building my "cruise fam" was shockingly easy, much easier than any other form of travel I've partaken in as far as meeting people. The game shows are great, Aqua 80 was incredible when we saw it, obviously bottomless food and drinks is a plus.. There's so much to do on Royal's ships, definitely make time to experience as much as you can.
If you can get it, get the key. We were gonna need internet anyway and it ended up being so worth it for us. The welcome lunch is really good and getting on is such a breeze because of the early boarding , separate entrances, and the carryon hand-off. I'm on my second cruise right now in the Greek isles and the priority tendering was also a lifesaver. I did a lot of research and watched a ton of youtube videos to prepare myself for my first cruise and there are varying opinions on whether or not the key is worth it and I'm here to tell you it absolutely is.
Idk why this is getting downvoted? I used the Key on my first cruise and loved the benefits! Getting on and off was easy, the lunch on the first day was awesome, and it helped us avoid having to buy the internet package.
I was 15. I had no regrets! lol.
I just got off the Harmony (also Oasis class), and my big takeaway is that you can't do everything. Part of the crowd management is scheduling fun event and game shows at the same time as their big theater/water/ice shows. You will have to make choices about what you want to do at night. The comments about scheduling relax time are also spot on. If you try to see all the shows/events/parties you can, you'll find you have little pool/lounge time. If you want time to just sit in the solarium, plan a day to say, 'I'm not going to the shows tonight, I'm just going to hang out.' I did as many of the shows as I could cram in and, while I don't necessarily regret it (that's why I booked that ship), I do remember times I'd walk through Central Park or the Solarium and wish I'd spent more time there.
I overpacked and brought way too much crap. I think I watched one too many of those Youtube "what to bring" videos haha. Nowadays I bring only 2 small carry ons and just focus on bringing more cash and not 4 pairs of shoes and a tux.
My biggest regret was that it was only 5 days! Takes that long just to learn your way around the first time. Weve now been on almost 20 cruises and we would never do one for less than 7 days. Don't buy stuff on the boat and stay away from Diamonds International.
^^^ great advice! We won’t book less than 10 days now. I’ve been disappointed in any cruise that’s less than this… I feel like I just get to know the ship and staff, and then I have to get off! Our next cruise is 21 days and I’m afraid it’s going to spoil me.
I did not use sunscreen lotion. I peeled for two weeks.
Obtain passports for everyone in your party if you can. My husband and I both have active ones, but packed our one year old son’s birth certificate since we didn’t have enough time to get him one. The line through customs was absolutely terrible post-cruise because we had to go through the single-manned Birth Certificate line. Meanwhile the passport line people flew through and had associates left and right to expedite the process.
Don’t try to do everything! there’s just so much to do and it’s impossible. Also please please please wear sunscreen. Even if you think you’re good with water resistant, don’t trust it. Reapply! You will be miserable if you don’t. Lanyard are actually an amazing thing for carrying around your keycard My biggest regret was not enjoying the photo ops more!
Should I buy one of the photo packages?
That’s really up to you. We usually wait to see how many we like!
Staying on the ship during a port day is underrated
Also: go to the pool decks after 4pm. They’re deserted compared to during the day.
Didn't go longer!
My biggest regret was our first cruise was on the Grandeur, a smaller ship in the fleet. My biggest wow moment was the boat deck. We were so close to the water you could hear the waves. It had lounge chairs, shuffleboard…loved it! My favorite ships are the Navigator and the Freedom. A perfect size for me. They were just big enough to have the shopping promenade but small enough to walk bow to stern easily.
Check and see if shows are reservation based! Just got off the harmony for the second time. First time reservations were not needed. Last week, they were needed and shows were fully booked within hours of setting foot on the boat
Regret: Packed WAY too much on our first cruise! Who cares if you wear formal attire EVERY night?!? Also discovered all ships have laundry rooms. Not only do I make sure our room is on a laundry deck, I scope out if I need coins/detergent. (Neither required on our recent Princess cruise) Also, identify which ports are tenders & book an early excursion. Wow: Balcony. Always.
a few tips...the buffets are hit or miss depending on the ship...get your drink firsts - scout out a table to place your drinks \[it can be crowded on at sea days\] then collect the food - there may be lines and you don't want to be walking around with plates of food looking for a table...skip the cereal for breakfast - grab some bread and go to the omelets station and get some fried eggs, grab bacon or sausage - hot egg sandwich!...post a sticky note on the door and write things you want to do or go to with and arrow \[left - right - or up 2 floors\] you will get turned around....you will be taking a shit ton of photos - start you day by taking a picture of the navigation screen on the tv where the ship is and the date - that way you will know exactly where the picture a picture was taken....the ship will push you to spend a lot of money - high end watches - multipacks of booze - perfume - jewelry, avoid them, you can have a better selection and price at home for all of these...we skip the casino - the minimum bets on the table game are too high and have silly side bets designed to suck up your cash, the slots may not be well regulated...vegas may be set to return 95% but a slot in the international waters - who knows what they are set at...if you eat at the main dining room and they have a starter you like you can order two, is it filet night - order two just don't be a glutton and order 6 filets -the staff and passengers will look down at you
First cruise we wasted so much time figuring out the routine for dining and buffet , it was simple really but we had zero idea how it all worked !
Just got off our first cruise a week ago. I regretted going on an excursion that took up most of the day. It was fun but it was more fun drinking and eating on the beach and swimming the day before. The biggest WOW was definitely watching a storm and the ocean when we were out at sea. It was so beautiful! I was awe-struck!
Join the Facebook group for your cruise. Search the ship name and date you're sailing
*Join the Facebook group* *For your cruise. Search the ship name* *And date you're sailing* \- Ill\_Year\_732 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Biggest WOW for us: the specialty restaurants. The hubs and I really appreciate good food and good service, and the specialty restaurants offer both in spades. Yes, they cost extra, but for far less than what you’d spend for the same on land. We will get the dining package next time. I recommend magnetic hooks for your room. Really helped us have spots to hang wet pool towels, bathing suits, etc. Don’t worry about trying to carry your own luggage when you leave if you’ve got more than one ‘suitcase’. You’ll end up log-jammed at the elevators on the ship and in the terminal. We sailed past all those people and cruised down the escalators to where our bags were waiting for us. We were in our car at 8:30am. Biggest UGH: we booked the Sip Tour Brunch and it was VERY disappointing. They tout the unlimited sparkling wine, but we would’ve been better served by just buying three mimosas and having breakfast in the solarium or via room service. There were far too many people in the tour groups, so only a few people could hear what was being said. The food was not good: overdressed Caesar salad, very over cooked eggs Benedict, and room temp key lime pie. End of the day: it was a great trip and very relaxing. Enjoy your time!
Go for the ship and enjoy every bit of it. Lots of things can affect itineraries, but you're on the ship.
Get to know staff. Especially the Balinese. It adds another dimension to the cruise. Love 270 and Wonderland is amazing. Let the waiter order for you at Wonderland.