Your vacation time is limited, so do not waste it waiting to buy a drink package. Generally speaking, the best price for a Royal Caribbean cruise can be found when booked many months in advance. Lots of passengers arrive early, standing in line for the opportunity to board early and be among the first on the ship. Things like weapons, candles, and irons are on the list of things NOT to bring. Guests should arrive at the terminal within the arrival time slot you selected during Royal App check-in. 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. If you believe in the, "rip the Band-Aid off quickly" theory of life, than disembarking your ship early will likely result in a shorter wait. Test out the TV, the toilet and the lights; check for bed bugs; sanitize anything you need to. Learn the cruise secrets most people don't know and cruise like a boss. This way youre paying about half the price of a week-long cruise and you can test the waters. Serenade April 2- How early can u really board? - Royal Caribbean It's important to note that these times that you choose during online check-in are only port arrival times. Search Now Here are 7 proven ways to board your cruise ship faster on embarkation day. So the earlier you book your cruise, the more stateroom inventory you will have and if freshman year high school economics taught me anything, it is that supply and demand plays a big part in pricing. Instead of arriving to your departure city on the day of your cruise, get in early! At 10:00, the doors to the terminal opened, and the suite guests were escorted to an elevator that took us to a separate security line. Like what you see? By completing online check-in early, you will have the best choice of check-in times. If you wait weeks or months to book a cruise onboard, the price of the cruise may increase and negate any savings you'd receive from the extra onboard credit. Our family chose to eat lunch at Windjammer Marketplace after boarding. While you may want to save the added expense,regular medical insurance will not usually cover medical services onboard or in port. Priority line at ship attractions and water slides during regular hours. Keep in mind the differences between Royal Caribbean's shore excursions and third party shore excursions. A really common mistake is for passengers to leave their phone on like normal, and come home to a monster bill because of hefty roaming charges. Club Orange by Holland America Line offers passengers priority access to exclusive perks and amenities, including priority check-in, stateroom upgrades, and an intimate dining venue on select ships. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. What's the first day of a cruise really like? - Cruiseline.com The price of the September 13, 2024 cruise on the Serenade of the Seas ranges from $690 for an inside cabin to $1,963 for a suite. Royal Caribbean has The Key, Carnival has Faster to the Fun, and Norwegian has the Priority Access Pass. One of the best parts? The reason is Royal Caribbean cruise fares are very erratic, and can change at a moment's notice. These are not the times you actually board the ship. Aurea is the most expensive options and could cost anywhere from $150 to $600 more than the lowest cost experience. Since 2021, Royal Caribbean has mostly been enforcing check-in times, so it's important to get a good time as early as you can. *Please see all applicable Terms & Conditions for Promotions. 50 Royal Caribbean Cruise Tips and Tricks It wasn't nearly as easy as usual. How Early Can You Board a Cruise Ship? - Cruise Line Guide Be the first to write a review! First, if you miss The Key check-in window, you have to fall back to whatever time you had before. 19. Boarding Question?? 1st Cruise - Royal Caribbean International - Cruise Check out Intelligent Cruiser here for a better cruise vacation. Other families, like mine, like to get the process started as soon as possible. The exact amount of the discount will vary from sailing to sailing, but in general, the savings of booking a drink package online before a cruise can be as much as over $10 per person, per day compared to booking it onboard. Check-in opens up 45 days before your cruise begins. If you get on the ship early you will find this is one of the best times to enjoy the cruise ship pools without any crowds. Read More Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbeans Junior SuitesContinue, Read More Honest Review of Perfect Day at CocoCayContinue, Read More Free Printable Cruise Packing List (with Tips)Continue, Read More Guide to Royal Caribbean Ship Classes (2023)Continue, Read More Easy Guide to Royal Caribbean Online Check InContinue, Read More Honest Review of Oasis of the SeasContinue, Your email address will not be published. Fax: +1 345 946 8825. 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. How early can I board my ship (Mariner)? - Royal Caribbean Easy Guide to Royal Caribbean Online Check In This includes accepting the cruise contract, answering the health questions, and choosing your boarding time. 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. Third party shore excursions can offer more personalized tours at a lower price. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Royal Caribbean Blog. The Key, Royal Caribbean's Priority Program - Cruise Critic Your loyalty status doesnt reset at the end of the year. The Online Check-in Process is a 4 step process and Royal Caribbean will walk you through it step by step. Please plan your arrival accordingly to avoid the possibility of not being permitted to sail. Peak dinner time is between 6:30pm and 8:00pm, so if you plan to dine during these times, reservations are so important. If you are wondering what time constitutes, "early", we are talking about sometime between 10am and 11:30am. There's no way to know that's happened without checking manually. The right slugs can turn a 12 gauge shotgun into a. One of the best cruise ship cabin hacks is to bring magnets with you on your cruise. Be among the first to check in and it will feel like youre getting priority access at the terminal. If you subscribe to the theory that time is money, then you definitely want to arrive to your embarkation port early. By arriving early, you will beat the big crowds that descend upon the cruise terminal later in the day, and you also get the added benefit of having some extra time onboard the ship. Your stateroom walls are made of metal, and that means you can stick a magnet on any of them (even the ceiling). You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. View All Cruises Avoid a huge cell phone bill by putting your phone into airplane mode while on your cruise. (+1 345) 244 2431. Royal Caribbean shore excursions are fully refundable if your ship cannot dock at a scheduled port. They also re-wear their embarkation clothes since this first day is typically not dressy at all. Keep in mind that other factors may effect your boarding time. The NextCruise office offers incentives to book another cruise while you're still onboard. Embark's office is located in an industrial chic building in Boston's Seaport District. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Just turn airplane mode once you get onboard the ship. My Time Dining usually begins around 6:00pm and lasts until 9:30pm, giving you a wide range of times to choose from. We arrived on time (1pm) and waited over three hours to board. From a bag getting lost in transit to flight cancellations, its always better to be protected than to not have insurance when you need it most. DON'T assume your cabin is pristine and in working order, if you tend to worry about such things. If getting onto your cruise ship as early as possible is important to you these tips above should help. Many cruise lines allow you to pay a little extra for priority access to the ship. Royal Caribbean typically allows cruisers to choose arrival times in thirty-minute blocks as shown in the image below. The only trouble is you may get hooked on it, and then you will have to come up with the cash for the next cruise. Just one of the perks of being a suite guest on a cruise ship is having priority access. The person didnt even ask for the ship name or location and gave monosyllabic responses. Every cruise line has its own procedure for when they open up the check-in process. 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. 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. If it is, you should feel confident that the proper gratuity is being given to that crew member. However, I highly recommend traveling with a passport. If you ask seasoned travelers how they get around these obstacles, the answer is often to give yourself more time. my last NCL cruise was out of tamp. Here are the 8 easy strategies I used to save money on my Royal Caribbean cruise that you can use too. This is by far the least crowded time to swim on the cruise ship. Adventure Ocean will be open on the first evening of your cruise, but they have an open house on embarkation day in the afternoon too. Too many parents are unaware of the open house and waste time signing their kids up as the evening session is set to begin. In addition to being able to use your drink package benefits nearly anywhere onboard your ship, Royal Caribbean also extends the benefit to Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas and Labadee in Haiti. If your stateroom shower is occupied by a family member, you could go to the gym and shower there instead. VIP access to shows in Main theater, Aqua Theater, Studio B, and Two70, Surf & Stream high-speed internet package, Special breakfast on debarkation day and choice of departure time, Dedicated phone number for guest services, Expedited water shuttle from ship to shore, Daily Complimentary Standard Room Service Breakfast, $50 Spa Discount per person (Port Days Only).