How to Make your Alaska Cruise Travel Easier: Tips

Table Of Content

• The best cruise experiences I had in 2023
• Not only are temperatures high in the summer, but crowds are at their peak, too
• Tips You Need to Know Before Your First Cruise
• Storing pullman and/or sofa beds during the day
• What we've done so far to plan for the world cruise
• Royal Caribbean's Newest Ship to Feature an Epic '80s Music Spectacular
• #9  Fly to your cruise port at least one day early
• + Kids sail free*

Probably one of my favorite features of the room was that the lights and TV were controlled by a tablet. If you’ve stayed in an interior room, you know just how dark they can be once the lights are turned off. With using a tablet I was able to turn them on and off from bed, and didn’t have to stumble across the cabin in the dark. Not only were their multiple outlets around the room, but they all included USB outlets in addition to the standard American plugs. This was helpful for us, as we are used to one measly outlet on Royal Caribbean, and needing to bring an extra outlet adapter just to charge all of our electronics.

Unofficial blog about Royal Caribbean cruises - Royal Caribbean Blog

Unofficial blog about Royal Caribbean cruises.

Posted: Thu, 11 Apr 2024 22:30:09 GMT [source]

The best cruise experiences I had in 2023

Guests had the option to book the entire 274 night voyage, or hop on for smaller segments. People on TikTok became as interested in the cruise itself as the personalities of the creators. Given that the vast majority of the public has never been on a cruise before, all sorts of assumptions and predictions were made. TikTok and the media have become obsessed with Royal Caribbean's first ever world cruise for all the things that happen on pretty much any cruise. Royal Caribbean hasn't announced anything yet, but it might have to adjust the ship's itinerary when it arrives to the Red Sea due to the unrest in the area.

Not only are temperatures high in the summer, but crowds are at their peak, too

It is just about all-inclusive, meaning that you can enjoy as many beverages as you want each day, even if all your drinks are made with top-shelf liquors. Each passenger can bring one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne onboard with them, so long as they are of legal drinking age. Non-alcoholic beverages, may not exceed 12 standard (17 oz.) cans, bottles, or cartons per stateroom. The best way to ensure that you get the lowest price for your cruise vacation is to book as early as possible and reprice often leading up to the final payment date. To chat with anyone onboard, you can simply send them an invitation by inputting their full name.

Tips You Need to Know Before Your First Cruise

And bilge water is the oils that are released from the engine compartments at the bottom of the ship. Marine sewer systems are intricate, and so unable to process the thicker, plushier toilet paper you’re used to at home. Because of this, they have to be mindful of the environment around them and the storage space onboard. Anyone who’s been on a cruise before has also been victimized by the thin, sandpaper-like material in the bathroom that passes for toilet paper. This is the entire process of turnaround day, and how the crew gets it all done.

If you go in with an optimistic mindset, on the other hand, any month will provide a remarkable cruise vacation. While that Norway itinerary in May might be the cheapest option, waiting until June, July, or August might bring sunnier skies and warmer temperatures. Unfortunately, this means spending more on your cruise fare and airfare, but it’s almost always worth the trade-off.

Before that, rough seas resulted in onboard flooding, with some ports being canceled in South America. There have also been reports of passengers fighting and visa issues for later destinations. My Cruise is a free mobile game where you can control all the parts of creating a luxury cruise vacation.

Those onboard the Ultimate World Cruise will visit one less World Wonder than they anticipated. Since it's no longer feasible to sail through the Red Sea, ports like Safaga, Egypt and Petra, Jordan will be removed from the itinerary. If Immersive Africa is chosen, guests will receive 25% off the pro-rated segment 3 cruise fare in the form of a refundable onboard credit.

Before you leave for your cruise, just download WhatsApp and you’ll be one step ahead. If I didn't have the app downloaded and set up, I could have been delayed even more in contacting them and getting on the road. The premium version is $2.29 and allows you to update specific cities and airports, compare your profile with friends, and add more visualizations to your map. Been tracks how many countries you’ve visited and calculates what percentage of the world you’ve been to.

+ Kids sail free*

Pros and Cons of a Royal Caribbean Cruise - Cruise Blog

Pros and Cons of a Royal Caribbean Cruise.

Posted: Fri, 22 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Whether you check in with the app or online, as long as you have the right identification documents handy, getting to your ship will be a breeze. 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. In addition, Royal Caribbean has onboard laundry services you can use to make wearing the same clothes later in the cruise more practical.

If you checked other luggage, it’ll be delivered to your stateroom that day, which will be ready for you soon after boarding. Head to the top deck for incredible views and a sail away party with live music. Whether you splurged on a luxe two-story suite, have multiple connected staterooms with your family or just want to check out the views from your balcony, your stateroom will be ready by the early afternoon. This is a great time to unwind and unpack—which you only have to do once on a cruise. If you’re hungry, you can have your choice of dishes from several restaurants that are open as soon as you board. Next, you’ll want to pick up your SeaPass card, which functions as your room key, ID and credit card.

Many staterooms are fully booked, and Royal Caribbean has not shared how many cabins are available on each segment. Only interior and ocean view rooms are available on the World Cruise segments. All balconies and suites are sold out, presumably by the guests who booked the entire sailing or one of the original four segments of the cruise. Royal Caribbean just released seventeen short segments of the cruise line’s Ultimate World Cruise, a 274-night cruise around the world. Visiting over sixty countries and eleven World Wonders, the World Cruise is on many cruisers’ bucket lists, and getting onboard has just become a whole lot easier.

If you booked an interior or oceanview cabin for your 2024 Alaska cruise, consider upgrading to a balcony before your sail date. In Sitka, for instance, you can enjoy a leisurely walk through the Sitka National Historic Park, which comes at no extra cost and is within walking distance from the town center. Likewise, you could take a shuttle bus to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau for $45 roundtrip, which is much cheaper than excursions booked through the cruise line. The last thing you want to happen is have your dream excursion sell out, leaving you scrambling to find other plans. Plus, excursions tend to only get more expensive over time, so booking early helps you lock in a lower price. Due to the popularity of excursions on an Alaska cruise, they can fill up quickly, so it’s important to book excursions well ahead of time.

Voting is open to those sailing on the full 9-month world cruise, as well as those booked for the segment of the world cruise sailing. According to previous reports, guests will receive 25% off the pro-rated Segment 3 cruise fare in the form of a refundable payment. Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience.

International travelers are familiar with the feeling of stepping foot in a foreign place and desperately searching for WiFi. As a traveler who’s visited 12 countries and countless cities, I’ve had to build up my toolbox from the ground up. If so, you can almost always expect warm temperatures and, aside from a chance of rain, pleasant weather conditions. Alaska’s landscapes are spectacular, so you’ll want to brush up on your photography skills before your cruise. Alternatively, you can try to bid on a cabin upgrade through Royal Caribbean’s RoyalUp program, although there’s no guarantee your bid will be successful.

Since this is a first-of-its-kind sailing for Royal Caribbean, I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect, but we are making some assumptions. When people ask how you pack for a vacation like this, there are two options as I see it. We are arranging shipping of some of our bags with Luggage Forward (This is an affiliate link which costs you nothing extra to use, but we make a small commission). That was in September, and since then, we are planning, waiting, making plans, changing plans, and getting ready to be gone for most of a year.

If you have not yet booked excursions for your 2024 Alaska cruise, book them as soon as possible. Fortunately, after nearly a dozen Alaska cruises, our staff are well versed in the ins and outs of cruising to Alaska. From booking your pre-cruise hotel to utilizing Seattle’s stress-free luggage service, here are our top 24 tips for an Alaska cruise this year. Full details have not been announced for the new beach club, but Mr. Bayley added during the webinar the cruise line will share more news about that destination experience over time. There’s no competition for shore excursions, ensuring that passengers spend money with Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, rather than a third party.

The worst months to cruise to Europe

If you're reading this at home, you're still better off booking a cruise now, rather than waiting to book onboard your ship. The reason is Royal Caribbean cruise fares are very erratic, and can change at a moment's notice. 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.

Insider Tips From the Captain of the World’s Longest Cruise

While this most likely will not happen if you get caught, you will lose out on the money, time, and effort that you spent working to sneak alcohol onto the cruise. Immediately upon entering our stateroom, we were impressed with how large it seemed. Even though it was only 177-square-feet, it had enough room for a desk, seating area, and we were able to walk around both sides of the bed. For two people, we never felt cramped or that we were getting in each other’s way when moving around the cabin. Another thing that we appreciated is that around the ship you could find various grab-and-go stations, mainly consisting of salads, wraps and sandwiches that could be enjoyed anywhere on the ship.

Cruising with teenagers: Will they have fun on a Royal Caribbean cruise? - Royal Caribbean Blog

Cruising with teenagers: Will they have fun on a Royal Caribbean cruise?.

Posted: Thu, 04 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Why the Internet is obsessed with 9-month world cruise on Royal Caribbean cruise ship

In 2022, for example, I booked the cheapest Alaska cruise I could find on Radiance of the Seas. The cruise fare was only $240 for an entire week with $293 in taxes and fees. Having booked the cruise only three months before I sailed, it offered a fantastic value. When packing for an Alaska cruise, we recommend bringing a pair of sneakers that are water resistant.

We were both overwhelmed and underwhelmed by the planning process.

Before setting sail, everyone on board needs to complete a safety briefing. Luckily, with the mobile app, you can do it whenever—and wherever—you like in just a few minutes. You can also find it on your stateroom TV and do it from the comfort of your bed. The final step is to visit your designated location (aka muster station), so you can check in with the crew. There’s a guide for that, and this one is packed with expert tips and hacks to navigate your first day on board because every minute of your time off is a minute to enjoy. Want to know one of the best tips for avoiding the worst cruise ship cabins?

Royal Caribbean cancels cruise because of Houthi Attacks in Red Sea - Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean cancels cruise because of Houthi Attacks in Red Sea.

Posted: Wed, 17 Apr 2024 01:04:06 GMT [source]

They had an arcade that was complete with retro games, and had the added benefit of not being sticky and gross from the lack of children. They also had seesaws and swings around the outdoor decks, as well as plenty of hammocks and hot tubs scattered around for people to enjoy. While at this point we were blown away by the food and the room, we soon found out exactly where Virgin Voyages was lacking. We made our way up to the pool deck to see what it looked like, and were shocked to find just two very small pools for the entire cruise ship. After spending 4 nights onboard a Virgin Voyages cruise, here is how I would compare the experience to Royal Caribbean. When we sail with Royal, we have to add in the automatic gratuities, we almost always buy a WiFi package for 2 devices, and before getting Diamond status we would always purchase a beverage package.

Royal Caribbean is letting passengers vote on 9-month world cruise itinerary change

I am also used to getting cruise documents prior to sailing, which typically include your sea pass and luggage tags. While booking the cruise itself was easy, what came next completely threw us off. In other ports mentioned in this article, I talked about the natural beauty and splendor of visiting those places. Cabo is certainly beautiful too, but this was just a really fun and enjoyable day spent on the water with friends. Matt is back from the first inaugural sailing of Icon of the Seas and shares his thoughts from trying out this brand new cruise ship.

My Personas

Plus, the traditional Diamond Lounge with complimentary drinks was also located in a corner of the Solarium, which was unusual. As Diamond Plus members, we had access to special dining and an exclusive solarium. If you purchase a package and find that it lowers, you can always cancel your package and repurchase for the current price to ensure you have snagged the lowest available price. After realizing there was no way we would be fighting for a spot in the pool, we packed up our stuff and headed inside for the remainder of our pool day. I wasn’t all that shocked to see that many other people had the same idea, and were also looking for things to do inside and away from the pool decks.

Behind the Boardwalk: Eats, Entertainment and Thrills for Everyone

Guests who sleep with more than that can ask their attendant to provide them with extras. Similarly, if you’re traveling with a CPAP machine, you may request an extension cord from your attendant. However, it’s best to fill out this form in advance, so you do not run into any issues while onboard. Speaking of clothing, this is your reminder to leave steamers and irons at home, as they’re not allowed onboard any Royal Caribbean ship.

Royal Caribbean cancels cruise because of Houthi Attacks in Red Sea

When it comes to planning the ultimate getaway, there are so many reasons why cruise vacations rank among the most popular travel options. If you’re not a planner, or if the only things you’re looking to focus on during your getaway is savoring great food, relaxing, and soaking up the sights, cruise vacations are the way to go. A cruise vacation is also a great option if you’re traveling with the whole family, especially when you opt for a Royal Caribbean cruise. All of the ships in this cruise line’s fleet offer family-friendly experiences for guests of all ages. Even little ones will find plenty of ways to play with spaces and activities designed for tots to tweens.

She loves to get active while at port, whether cycling through mountains in the Caribbean or scuba diving under the sea. Making our way down to the beach, again we saw rows upon rows of complimentary seating, and some of the bluest water I’ve ever seen. This Beach Club truly felt like we should have paid a lot of money to access. They also had a variety of preset “moods” for you to choose from, which would change the room to different colors and hues, such as a Hangover setting with lower lights. Something else that we weren’t used to, was having a large selection of popular movies and shows to choose from. On Royal Caribbean, we are stuck with the 30–ish channels, that seem to somehow be almost all news or sports.

If you’d like to change the travel agent on file, you’ll need to get a transfer form and complete it within 30 days of booking at the NextCruise booth. The onboard credit varies depending on the length of the sailing and the type of stateroom you choose. With NextCruise, you can book your next cruise right onboard, having another fun experience guaranteed before you even get off the ship. Booking a cruise onboard at NextCruise offers promising deals and benefits. There are compelling reasons to book a cruise onboard a Royal Caribbean ship, but you'll want to double-check everything before you hand over your credit card. To figure out if this request can be accommodated or not, ask your stateroom attendant.

Whether you’re planning a trip with a friend, relative, or romantic partner, there are a host of things that could go wrong and create conflict. Crew members undoubtedly know our ships the best, and they have the insider tips to match. We neither suggest nor recommend trying to sneak alcohol on a cruise, as the consequences can be dire.

When booking entertainment reservations, we recommend sticking to shows earlier in the week. If, for instance, a show is offered on the second, fifth, and last evening of the cruise, try to book the first day available. Watching a ship tour will help make your first few days onboard stress-free, as you will already have a general understanding of what is offered onboard, as well as the location of popular venues. If you live in a warm climate or don’t wear winter jackets often, consider purchasing gently-used cold weather gear at a thrift shop or on eBay. There’s really no need to spend hundreds of dollars on new winter gear just for an Alaska cruise, especially if you’re traveling with children who will quickly outgrow clothing. While a balcony is not a requirement on an Alaska cruise, there’s no denying a balcony cabin is nicer than an interior cabin on such a scenic itinerary.

On a cruise, your vacation starts as soon as you set foot on your cruise ship. In fact, Day One has the makings to be as memorable as every other day of your getaway. Each ship is packed with adventures, restaurants, entertainment and more, and you can get in on the action right away. Not all Royal Caribbean cruise ships allow you to pre-book shows, and on ships that do offer it, you may not be able to make a reservation. There's far fewer of your fellow passengers on a ship during a port day, so this is the perfect time to try the popular onboard activities.