Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean Cruise is one of the largest cruise lines in the world and has now 29 ships. They operate the largest cruise ships ever built with the Icon of the Seas and the brand-new Star of the Seas being massive mega ships. They have ships in a variety of classes and sizes. They sail to over 270 destinations in over 60 countries to 6 of the 7 continents. You can truly travel the world with Royal Caribbean. They are one of our favorite Ocean Cruise Lines to cruise on as we find they have a good mix of value, quality and itineraries. Here are details about our experiences with Royal Caribbean!
Iteneraries
We have sailed on many different itineraries with Royal and many of them have been unique. They have cruises that range in length and that is great for cruisers like us. We have been on cruises for as short as 2 days and as long as 10 days. They have longer cruises than 10 days available as well. The two-day cruise we went on was out of Southampton, United Kingdom and went to across the English Channel to Le Harve, France. We had the chance to visit Mont St. Michel on this cruise but Paris was available. The longest cruise we took was a Norwegian Fjords cruise that was amazing visiting places like Geirangerfjord and Bergen. We have done short 3-4 day cruises to Royal’s private islands and cruises to Mexico’s Baja Peninsula to places like Ensenada and Los Cabos. Royal Caribbean has Asia, South America, Middle Eastern and Oceania (Pacific Islands) cruises as well. So, you can pretty much go anywhere with Royal and for the period you want.
The Staterooms
Like all cruise lines there are multiple different categories of staterooms. The categories of stateroom can vary from ship to ship but there generally are similar categories from ships. Here are the general categories:
- Suites – We have never stayed in a suite during our cruises, but the can have multiple rooms, their own plunge pool, multiple balconies and more. They can sleep multiple people and range in size.
- Balcony Rooms – this category has a variety of different rooms with balcony sizes. It could be a large rear facing balcony, a balcony on an upper or lower deck or an obstructed view. The most common balcony has two chairs and a small table to enjoy the views. It was wonderful having a balcony on our Royal Carribean cruise to Norway. The rooms themselves have more space than the lower categories. One larger Royal Caribbean ships that have a large atrium can have Ocean or atrium view balconies.
- Ocean View Rooms – this category has smaller rooms and usually a large picture window. These rooms are usually on lower decks and do give nice views of the ocean and scenery, but you cannot go outside.
- Interior Staterooms – These are the most affordable type of stateroom on a cruise ship. They do not have a window and are on the interior of the ship usually across from balcony or window rooms. Some of the newer ships the interior rooms have TV screen windows that show views from outside. The rooms are a bit smaller but there are larger interior rooms on some ships larger than the basic and on ships like the Freedom of the Seas there are promenade view interior rooms that do not look out at the sea but at the deck 5 promenade. On the Freedom of the Seas we stayed in a standard interior room and we found it just fine. It had enough space for us and not having a window or balcony was not a big deal. We found the room actually got cooler than the rooms facing the outside so that was nice on a Caribbean cruise.
The Dining and Food
Like all major ocean cruise lines, Royal Caribbean offers a wide variety of food options. The buffet is called Windjammer and is open for breakfast lunch and dinner. The food quality is good, but we personally prefer the main dining experience for our meals. Windjammer can be crowded at peak times we have found.
The Main Dining Room
Before you sail you can decide on how you would like to dine when it comes to the main dining. You can either do anytime dinning with no reserved table (first come first serve) or choose a time to have dinner. We usually choose the early seating that varies from 4:45 to 5:30pm based on our experiences. There are later seating times like 7pm. The menu changes each night other than some Royal Classics like steak. You can get an appetizer, main course and dessert and can order multiple items if you would like. Good bread is served, and you can get iced tea, coffee lemonade and water complimentary. As for seating, we were at a private table for two and a shared table with others. They have themed night such as Italian, French, Caribbean and others so you can get a taste of different regions of the world. We find the food pretty good and worth going to main dining. The service has also been very good on Royal Caribbean Cruises but do expect to be in the dining room for over an hour at a relaxed pace.
Specialty Dining
Like other cruise lines Royal Caribbean has specialty dinning that costs extra. They have restaurants like Chops that is a steakhouse, Playmaker which is a sports bar that serves bar fare for an extra cost, Italian, Sushi and many others. They also have Johnny Rocket’s onboard for a retro 50’s diner experience. We have not tried any of the specialty dining in Royal Caribbean, but we are sure they are great.
Room Service
Royals Caribbean does have room Service, and it has a surcharge of around $9.99. You can order things like hamburgers, soups, salads, pizza, wings and other dishes. It is complimentary for breakfast and can be handy if you have an early excursion.
Cafes, Bars and Casual
Each ship has a variety of quick service restaurants and bars. The bars will cost you extra for a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) unless you have a beverage package that gives you drink privileges. They have different package options around drinks. They have Sorrento’s that offers late night pizza and deserts and others like Mexican food on the pool deck. There is a Starbucks that does cost extra as well. The bars are different themes like Schooners that have a nautical theme.
Onboard Entertainment, Activities and Ammenties
The Entertainment on Royal Caribbean is very good. Each night they have shows in the main theater that vary from full production shows with singing and dancing to magic and comedy shows. They also have Broadway shows on some ships. They also have unique shows like ice skating we have seen on some ships. We have not been on any of the mega ships yet, but they have water/diving and other shows available!
Throughout the day there are a wide variety of options of activities. There are trivia games including a new game you play on your phones. There are game shows that tackle marriage (some are adults only), or other topics against others cruisers. There are wild contests like a belly flop or “Worlds Sexiest Man”. There are scavenger hunts like finding crew from around the world, cooking classes and so much more so you have plenty to do on sea days.
Shopping Onboard
On all cruise lines there are plenty of shopping opportunities throughout the cruise. On Royal Caribbean and the Freedom of the Seas, much of the shopping is on deck 5 (Promenade). There are many duty-free shops that sell jewelry, high end liquor, designer clothing, watches, and much more. Throughout the journey they run deals and events with specials on different products. We personally are not big shoppers, but we do take part in the destination T-Shirt Sales and have bought things like backpacks. They have a Royal Caribbean shop that has models of the ship you are on, shirts, magnets and many more that are Royal Caribbean branded items. There is also a photography shop where you can get your pictures printed or purchased digitally when the professional photographers around the ship take your pictures.
The Casino and Club Royale
Each Royal Caribbean Ship has a decently large casino. Each casino has table games like roulette, craps, various poker styles, blackjack and others that are available for those who enjoy those games. They also have a wide variety of slot machines from penny up to $1+ machines. Our personal favorites are if we can find a slot machine that has games like Top Dollar, Pinball or haywire/free games. The casino has special events and drawings throughout the cruise. They have slot tournaments for around a $30 buy in, poker tournaments, and things like hot seat drawings where a lucky player can get free play. They also sell scratch off and bingo cards. Like any casino you can get drinks while playing (they are not free, you must pay for them unless you have a beverage package), they have a cashier and change machines. Unlike land-based casinos, you can charge play to your room and that can be a credit card. Cruises based in the US allow smoking in the casino, but when we cruised out of Southampton, United Kingdom it was smoke free by law. On Freedom of the Seas, we saw the first smoke-free casino area on any of our Royal Caribbean cruises that is a very nice addition for people allergic to cigarettes like us. The Casinos are closed while in ports until the ship is in international waters.
Royal Caribbean also has Club Royale that is the loyalty program. We find it to be valuable where we have gotten heavily discounted cruises to the point of only paying port fees. They send different offers periodically for free cruise fare for 1 or 2 people depending on how much you play.
Crown and Anchor Society and Next Cruise
Each cruise line has a loyalty program that gives you perks the more you cruise on the line. For Royal Caribbean it is called the Crown and Anchor Society. Each night of your cruise counts as one point towards the rewards tier from 3 points (Gold) to 700+ (Pinnacle). If you go on one cruise, on the next you will most likely be gold tier. So, for example if you go on a 4-night cruise you will get 4 points towards the next tier. There are various benefits such as discounts at shops, early boarding and more.
The Next Cruise program is where you can put a deposit on a future cruise while onboard or book another cruise and you get discounts.
Shore Excursions
All cruise lines offer shore excursions in the different ports of call and they vary in price and length and activity. We nearly always purchase our shore excursions through the cruise line as there is a clause that makes sure that even if the excursion is late back to the ship, they will not leave you (if you are with the group). There are also discounts on cruise excursions normally if you buy them before the cruise. The crew will leave your tickets in your room on embarkation day if you book them early, but you can book while on the ship. Some excursions do sell out before the cruise starts. The ticket gives you the meeting time and place details for your excursion. Royal Caribbean also offers through the shore excursion desk a behind-the-scenes ship tour where you can see the galley, bridge, backstage and more, that is a nice experience we have had on a few ships. You do not have to take a shore excursion to go to shore in a port. Just pay attention to the level of the ship the gangway is on to depart and the time to be back on the ship.
An Example of part of a shore excursion on Grand Turk Island
Drink and Internet Packages
While on board you have water, tea and lemonade for lunch and dinner and there are juices included for breakfast. Any other beverage has a cost from sodas to alcoholic beverages. We personally do not usually get a package but if you drink a lot of sodas or alcoholic beverages it might be worth it. It varies from sailing to sailing.
The internet is also extra on Royal Caribbean and most other cruise lines. You can buy a full cruise package for one or more devices or buy day passes. It is cheaper to buy it ahead of time as it’s more expensive onboard. We usually do get the internet package.
Check-in, Arrival and Onboard Payments
For Royal Caribbean, when checking in online before your cruise you are asked to set up if you are paying with credit card or cash for onboard purchases. You also will pick your port arrival time from what is available. That will vary from around 11am/12pm to 2:30pm or so. If you did not pre-pay gratuities then they will be charged onboard. Some people do have the gratuities removed, but to us it should be left on as the crew works very hard and there are many you will not see like laundry staff. The check-in process is easy on the Royal Caribbean App that you download ahead of your cruise. On the app you can make reservations, see ship maps, and see the schedule of events for the cruise.
Before you board you fill out a health questionnaire on the app and watch the safety videos. When you get to the port, porters will take your bags that you have attached printed out tags on that you received online after checking in with your cruise documentation. Afterwards you head into the port where they check your boarding pass and will take a picture of your passport or other documents. You will go through a calmer TSA style security check and then you head on board where they will scan your boarding pass, and you have one last step before you are enjoying your cruise. You need to find your muster station and check in with the crew before you set sail. Your room keys will be on the door of your cabin, and the room keys are what you use to charge for anything you get on the ship.
Disembarkation
Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines have an organized process to disembark the thousands of passengers on the ship. You will need to settle any charges before you leave if you did not put it on a credit card. You should go to guest services the night before if there are any issues as the line is long on disembarkation day. Royal Caribbean disembarks by group number and depending on your situation. If you want assistance with your bags (the crew takes them off the ship and you pick them up at the port) you put the numbered tags provided on the last night. You must have your bags usually out in front of your stateroom for pickup at 9 or 10pm (check the details onboard). There are disembarkation tours and transportation services usually available that have a set disembarkation time and place to meet. In Miami there are tours that will take you on an airboat ride in the Florida Everglades or Miami city tours for example. They drop you off at the airport (Miami or Fort Lauderdale) after the tour is done. You must have a later flight after 1pm or 3pm depending on the tour for that to work. If you want to take your own bags, then you will be in the self-assist group and usually go first. VIP guests in suites and those who have higher loyalty tiers will have earlier departure groups. Beyond that it will depend on the number you have when you depart.
You might be wondering if you will get breakfast before you leave? The answer is yes, if you get up early. On the Freedom of the Seas for example, we had to leave our stateroom by 8am to give the stateroom steward time to clean all the rooms for the next cruise. Breakfast in the main dining room and buffet is available but closes early.
You scan your sailing card one last time on the way out and in the port you pick up your bags, pass through customs (you take a picture if you have a passport and you are cleared without talking to an agent) and if you are traveling with a birth certificate and ID then you talk to a homeland security agent in a separate line. From there your cruise journey is done!
Conclusion
Royal Caribbean is one of our favorite cruise lines to travel on with great itineraries, unique ships and a lot to offer. We cruise with them and a couple of other Ocean Cruise lines often. If you haven’t been on a cruise before Royal Caribbean is a great line to try and a short cruise is a great way to try it out. We are certified Travel Agent Specialists in Royal Caribbean and can help you navigate the seas and get you on a cruise. Contact us if you are interested as our services are FREE to use (paid by commission) and you will be supporting small business!
