Really New -- First Timer ....cruise is booked...these are the questions

My cruise is on RL in November, 5 nights, we are in our 60s, I find that if I do a lot of planning before I go somewhere then I can spend my time relaxing when I get there (instead of researching info):

1. How do I book in advance our desired meal time?

2. How do I book in advance a specialty restaurant?

3. How can I find out in advance which restaurants on the ship are the best?

4 In the regular dining room do they put you at tables with other people? The same people every night?

5 You can bring on 2 bottles of wine, can you bring them to dinner?

6 How can I find out what shows will be on? How can I rebook in advance the shows I want to attend?

7 How can I find out in specific all the activities offered by each day on board?

8 If I do not take excursions what is there to do on board?

9 How can I get a printable layout of my ship to see where everything is located in relation to my stateroom?

10 How can I find out in advance what music/dancing is offered and where?

#1&2 You should be able to arrange by calling customer service or on the web site.

#4, Depends on your preference, you should be able to arrange this in advance by calling customer service. "Traditional dining" is at the same time every day, and usually seated with other passengers, table will be the same every day. We request a table for 6, normally three couples. We have met wonderful people this way, others hate the thought of dining with strangers. Tables for two are available. "My time dining or it's equivalent is a crapshoot, we've never tried it.

My cruise is on RL in November, 5 nights, we are in our 60s, I find that if I do a lot of planning before I go somewhere then I can spend my time relaxing when I get there (instead of researching info):

 

1. How do I book in advance our desired meal time?

2. How do I book in advance a specialty restaurant?

3. How can I find out in advance which restaurants on the ship are the best?

4 In the regular dining room do they put you at tables with other people? The same people every night?

5 You can bring on 2 bottles of wine, can you bring them to dinner?

6 How can I find out what shows will be on? How can I rebook in advance the shows I want to attend?

7 How can I find out in specific all the activities offered by each day on board?

8 If I do not take excursions what is there to do on board?

9 How can I get a printable layout of my ship to see where everything is located in relation to my stateroom?

10 How can I find out in advance what music/dancing is offered and where?

#9 Google it or find it on the cruise ships website

(Honestly, you should have done this prior to booking, you might be stuck in a cabin below a really loud part of the ship)

Dining. If you go for fixed or "traditional", you are assigned to the same table with the same people. You can ask for a table for 2, 4, 6,10, but it is not a guarantee. If you don't like your table mates, you either ask the maitre'd to be moved to another table or endure the table mates. Or, eat meals elsewhere - specialty dining, buffet, room service. If you go for "anytime", "my time" dining, you go to the Main Dining Room when you want - you may have to wait for a table, just like in a normal restaurant. Depending on which line you are on and how many people have already booked fixed dining, you may be automatically assigned to the "whenever" dining. I've always done the "whenever" dining, because I do not like to be stuck with strangers and be forced to engage in mindless chitchat (which I have to do all day long in my job). I prefer to know who I'm dining with...

Activities: the ship will hand out a daily activity sheet with what is happening on the ship at what time. If you don't do an excursion off-ship (you KNOW you don't have to have an excursion to go off-ship, right? You can do it yourself), that daily sheet will list what is going on. Staying on a ship when everyone goes off to enjoy a port gives you a chance to do the spa, sit by the pool, just relax.

Layout of the ship: Just about every cruise line website has diagrams of the various decks of the ship. Explore that to see where things are relative to your cabin.

Go to the Roll Call forum here and find the one for your cruise. There may be some there who can assist with more of your questions or to answer more specifically than us here on this forum.

We enjoy tablemates, so we always request a large table in traditional seating. On most ships, the shows revolve around the 2 traditional seating times, so you don't have to overly plan your days!

Yes, you can take your wine to dinner, or simply pour a large glass to take with you.

A guidebook is a must if you want to have a good day ashore without excursions. You can also stay on the ship, if you prefer!

At every elevator/stairway bank, there is a map showing what is where on each deck! No worries about finding your way!

A little dense here...What ship/line is RL? EM

A little dense here...What ship/line is RL? EM

Thank you for asking. I also wonder what cruise line that 'stands for'?

I thought I knew cruise ships ? What the heck is RL [emoji848]

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My cruise is on RL in November, 5 nights, we are in our 60s, I find that if I do a lot of planning before I go somewhere then I can spend my time relaxing when I get there (instead of researching info):

 

1. How do I book in advance our desired meal time? if you have traditional dining( early or late seating) it is a moot point as the seating is ONLY at those two times..and no you cannot show up 20 minutes late. if you are on the cruise ships version of flexible dining, no reservations are needed at all, you show up when you want

2. How do I book in advance a specialty restaurant? Online, bearing in mind that you will pay in full up front . alternatively, once on board by calling directly or stopping by the venue

3. How can I find out in advance which restaurants on the ship are the best? purely subjective. go to the section of these boards for that cruisline ( just what exactly is RL, anyway?!) and ask for opinions

4 In the regular dining room do they put you at tables with other people? The same people every night? if on traditional, yes, unless you request to be seated alone. on the flex option, you tell them what you want.

5 You can bring on 2 bottles of wine, can you bring them to dinner? yes. there may or may not be a corkage fee based on ship and even cabin category.

6 How can I find out what shows will be on? How can I rebook in advance the shows I want to attend? again, depends on ship. some do not even all pre booking at all. Headline shows tend to not change that often so a quick question on the boards will yield results.

7 How can I find out in specific all the activities offered by each day on board? you will be given a schedule each night before bedtime for the next days activities.

8 If I do not take excursions what is there to do on board? again, each ship will have their own activities staff and 'vibe' if you will as to what sort of options there are.

9 How can I get a printable layout of my ship to see where everything is located in relation to my stateroom? online deck plans. at boarding you might get a simple cross section map on a sheet of paper or a small fold out version.

10 How can I find out in advance what music/dancing is offered and where? the daily schedule. you will not be able to find out for certain what activities are on board until sail date as the entertainment staff does rotate fairly frequently. many times 2 or 3 of the entertainers will only be on board for a day or 2. like the comedian or the special musical guest.

Cruising cannot be preplanned to the extent a Disney vacation is. changes are made from cruise to cruise and even on the day of if a tender port has to be canceled for instance. you really need to be flexible and go with the flow.

Depending on your cruise line, those who will allow you to carry-on wine bottle and does not charge corkage, will charge a corkage fee if you bring the bottles at the dining room or restaurants.

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I have absolutely no idea which ship RL is. Since we need to know that, and the cruise line it belongs to to properly answer all your questions....

A little dense here...What ship/line is RL? EM

Since the first five posts answered the OP's questions I thought they -- and everyone else -- knew what RL stood for. I thought I was the only dummy. Glad to know I'm not.

Opps Its not RL its RC royal carribean:o Vision of the Seas

Love everyones input...this is a wonderful thing!

Opps Its not RL its RC royal carribean:o Vision of the Seas

Love everyones input...this is a wonderful thing!

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Your pre-cruise reservations can be made on Royal's website, using the Cruise Planner.

Also visit Royal's dedicated forum where you can find much more info on the cruise line:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I like to plan things in advance as well. But not every single detail like you are doing.

Just go and relax.