What tips would you like know for cruising with Royal?

[TNcruiser6]

I consider myself to be a pretty seasoned cruiser, specifically the Caribbean and Bermuda. Prior to cruising on a fairly consistent basis, I scoured the internet looking for tips to help make my cruise more enjoyable. Now that I have cruised quite a bit, I'd like to be able to impart some of that knowledge on others. If you have questions regarding cruising, please feel free to post your question- no matter how detailed or basic and I'll be happy to answer.

[roysmith99]

I consider myself to be a pretty seasoned cruiser, specifically the Caribbean and Bermuda. Prior to cruising on a fairly consistent basis, I scoured the internet looking for tips to help make my cruise more enjoyable. Now that I have cruised quite a bit, I'd like to be able to impart some of that knowledge on others. If you have questions regarding cruising, please feel free to post your question- no matter how detailed or basic and I'll be happy to answer.

 

Wow, a competitor for Cruise Critic, good luck and thanks for offering your help and advice.

[cndljen]

I consider myself to be a pretty seasoned cruiser, specifically the Caribbean and Bermuda. Prior to cruising on a fairly consistent basis, I scoured the internet looking for tips to help make my cruise more enjoyable. Now that I have cruised quite a bit, I'd like to be able to impart some of that knowledge on others. If you have questions regarding cruising, please feel free to post your question- no matter how detailed or basic and I'll be happy to answer.

 

 

First time cruiser for may 10th oasis. I searched RCI's site about the sea pass card. Couldn't find what I was looking for. How does one go about loading funds onto the card? I would like to load some this week and more as it gets closer to time to cruise. I have not completed the online registration thing yet as we don't have our cruise documents yet so I didn't know if that mattered or not. Thanks!

 

 

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[TNcruiser6]

First time cruiser for may 10th oasis. I searched RCI's site about the sea pass card. Couldn't find what I was looking for. How does one go about loading funds onto the card? I would like to load some this week and more as it gets closer to time to cruise. I have not completed the online registration thing yet as we don't have our cruise documents yet so I didn't know if that mattered or not. Thanks!

 

 

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First of all, welcome to the world of cruising! I have a feeling you will fall in love with it like most everyone does.

When completing your online check-in, setting up an onboard expense account with be step 2 of 3. You can opt to put a credit card on file or you can opt to pay with cash. If you put a credit card on file, just note that the day you check in they will verify that card. So if something happened and you were running close to your limit with the card on file, they could run a new one. If you choose to not set up a credit card, you can always pay with cash. Since there really is no way of knowing how much you will spend onboard, you do not "cash out" until the night of the last day on board. If you have a credit card on file for the sea pass account and have reviewed your account summary and see no reason to dispute any of the charges, it will automatically be billed to your credit card without you having to go to the Guest Services desk.

As far as pre-loading money onto your seapass card, you would need to consult Royal Caribbean directly as that cannot be done when viewing your reservation online.

Your sea pass card also serves as your form of identification when entering and exiting the ship when at port, your tickets when going to the shows and comedy club on the Oasis, as well as any beverage packages you may have purchased, etc. You will definitely want to reserve tickets ahead of time as all shows, especially the comedian, sell out very fast.

[readytolose]

First time cruiser for may 10th oasis. I searched RCI's site about the sea pass card. Couldn't find what I was looking for. How does one go about loading funds onto the card? I would like to load some this week and more as it gets closer to time to cruise. I have not completed the online registration thing yet as we don't have our cruise documents yet so I didn't know if that mattered or not. Thanks!

 

 

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Call Royal Caribbean and tell them you would like to purchase some OBC for your account. When we took our kids on their first cruise we purchased a significant amount of OBC because I wanted to take care of that expense long before sailing.

I would just call periodically and tell them I wanted to purchase more. Back in 2009 I think the limit at a time was $499.00 but they had no problem doing it in separate transactions when I wanted to add more than that!

[cndljen]

Call Royal Caribbean and tell them you would like to purchase some OBC for your account. When we took our kids on their first cruise we purchased a significant amount of OBC because I wanted to take care of that expense long before sailing.

I would just call periodically and tell them I wanted to purchase more. Back in 2009 I think the limit at a time was $499.00 but they had no problem doing it in separate transactions when I wanted to add more than that!

 

 

Cool thanks for the info. That's what I couldn't think of was the OBC. My bf has been on many cruises but I want to load money as time goes by and then the CC on file will be back up. I've already booked our entertainment and just bought the drink packages today. Plan on drinking plenty bahahahaha. And next is our chichen itza excursion then Jamaica then the OBC's. I'm OCD about planning and not waiting until the last minute bahaha

 

 

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[kwazi07]

First time RCI cruiser. I know with Carnival you print our luggage tags prior to cruise, is this the same with RC? All I found on the website was for getting tags shipped to you for top tier guests.

[cndljen]

First time RCI cruiser. I know with Carnival you print our luggage tags prior to cruise, is this the same with RC? All I found on the website was for getting tags shipped to you for top tier guests.

 

 

Ditto that's all I could find too

 

 

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[Cruise2014Fanatic]

I consider myself to be a pretty seasoned cruiser, specifically the Caribbean and Bermuda. Prior to cruising on a fairly consistent basis, I scoured the internet looking for tips to help make my cruise more enjoyable. Now that I have cruised quite a bit, I'd like to be able to impart some of that knowledge on others. If you have questions regarding cruising, please feel free to post your question- no matter how detailed or basic and I'll be happy to answer.

 

Thank you so much for offering this service.

 

What color are the safes in the rooms? Are they all tan? Is it possible that I will get a blue safe? red? This concerns me... Especially if I get a blue one. Please advise.

[redsoxfan58]

I was wondering if you have any advice about the 4 ports I'm about to visit on Granduer of the Seas. I didn't book any excursions because all we really want to do is go to a beach while we're in port. I was wondering if its fairly easy to get to the beaches by bus or taxi's. We're in our 50's and I have back pain and can't walk long distances. We're going to Cozumel, George Town, Falmouth and Labadee. From what I've been able to find out so far it looks like in Labadee once we get off the ship the beaches are close enough to walk to. I was considering booking one excursion in George Town that goes to Tiki Beach on 7 mile Beach. It's $46 a person and they take us by bus and we get a welcome drink, a lounge chair and the use of the facility for 3 hours. I checked a website someone shared where you can see how many ships are in port on any day and that day there will be 2 other ships. I just was thinking if I pay for the excursion than at least I don't have to worry about getting there and back. Any other advice would be great. Thanks

[readytolose]

Cool thanks for the info. That's what I couldn't think of was the OBC. My bf has been on many cruises but I want to load money as time goes by and then the CC on file will be back up. I've already booked our entertainment and just bought the drink packages today. Plan on drinking plenty bahahahaha. And next is our chichen itza excursion then Jamaica then the OBC's. I'm OCD about planning and not waiting until the last minute bahaha

 

 

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Yep, I'm the same way. I'm a planner and I like to have things taken care of as soon as possible. I plan on purchasing the drink packages ahead of time and also some specialty restaurants. I know some people think it is stupid to give RC your money before it's absolutely necessary, however I like to have it done and paid for. That way on the cruise I won't stress about having a huge sea pass bill! For our honeymoon we had something like $800 OBC and still spent another $1800 on the ship. Cruise with the kids was even worse. We started with $2500 OBC and spent another $2500 on the CC at the end of the cruise. This time I don't expect it to be too bad because all the drinks and dining will be paid for before we step foot on the ship! It's just the darn Casino that sucks us in! LOL

[cndljen]

Yep, I'm the same way. I'm a planner and I like to have things taken care of as soon as possible. I plan on purchasing the drink packages ahead of time and also some specialty restaurants. I know some people think it is stupid to give RC your money before it's absolutely necessary, however I like to have it done and paid for. That way on the cruise I won't stress about having a huge sea pass bill! For our honeymoon we had something like $800 OBC and still spent another $1800 on the ship. Cruise with the kids was even worse. We started with $2500 OBC and spent another $2500 on the CC at the end of the cruise. This time I don't expect it to be too bad because all the drinks and dining will be paid for before we step foot on the ship! It's just the darn Casino that sucks us in! LOL

 

 

We live 60 min from a casino so u only intend on playing a tournament or two. Our biggest expense would've been drinking. But we did the ultimate drink package that I paid for earlier today. I'm not much of a shopper so that's not a concern either we might eat at a couple of the specialty restaurants but my thought is why spend money on things that are included. Unless the food is terrible.

 

 

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[Clarea]

First time RCI cruiser. I know with Carnival you print our luggage tags prior to cruise, is this the same with RC? All I found on the website was for getting tags shipped to you for top tier guests.

 

Ditto that's all I could find too

The "Print Luggage Tag" button will appear on the online check-in page at 49 days before the cruise.

[atfreud17]

When is the best time to board the ship??

[Clarea]

When is the best time to board the ship??

You can board around 11:30am if you want to maximize your time on the ship. You can wait until 2pm if you want to minimize the crowds and be able to go to your stateroom upon boarding.

[PAcruiser25]

Hi TNCruiser6,

 

Thanks for your offer. I don't know why some people are so sarcastic. I would love answers to some questions. We have cruised on Carnival and are thinking about RCCL - Grandeur.

Key West - can you walk to beach / town from the dock?

What's the best deck: 2, 3, or 4 if it matters?

Are there crafts for the 6 - 8 yr. old group? Do kids get some kind of memory book?

Do you have to reserve seats for all of the shows on this ship?

Is there a brunch?

Where can you go to eat breakfast if you don't want a buffet?

What kind of activities are there to do on sea days in cold weather?

[Merion_Mom]

Hi TNCruiser6,

 

Thanks for your offer. I don't know why some people are so sarcastic. I would love answers to some questions. We have cruised on Carnival and are thinking about RCCL - Grandeur.

Key West - can you walk to beach / town from the dock?

What's the best deck: 2, 3, or 4 if it matters?

Are there crafts for the 6 - 8 yr. old group? Do kids get some kind of memory book?

Do you have to reserve seats for all of the shows on this ship?

Is there a brunch?

Where can you go to eat breakfast if you don't want a buffet?

What kind of activities are there to do on sea days in cold weather?

 

The dock is IN town.

 

Four is better than three which is better than two.

 

Yes. I don't know.

 

No reservations for any entertainment on Grandeur.

 

Main dining room. Park Café.

 

Check your Cruise Compass - the daily newsletter left in your cabin each evening.

[jackie101]

I just that baked goods are free at Ben and Jerry, but a charge for icream:confused:. Is that true? Also, is baked goods at starbucks free too?

[myhouseofmouse]

I was wondering if you have any advice about the 4 ports I'm about to visit on Granduer of the Seas. I didn't book any excursions because all we really want to do is go to a beach while we're in port. I was wondering if its fairly easy to get to the beaches by bus or taxi's. We're in our 50's and I have back pain and can't walk long distances. We're going to Cozumel, George Town, Falmouth and Labadee. From what I've been able to find out so far it looks like in Labadee once we get off the ship the beaches are close enough to walk to. I was considering booking one excursion in George Town that goes to Tiki Beach on 7 mile Beach. It's $46 a person and they take us by bus and we get a welcome drink, a lounge chair and the use of the facility for 3 hours. I checked a website someone shared where you can see how many ships are in port on any day and that day there will be 2 other ships. I just was thinking if I pay for the excursion than at least I don't have to worry about getting there and back. Any other advice would be great. Thanks

 

Can I ask what the website is that you can find this information out on???

[Clarea]

Can I ask what the website is that you can find this information out on???

cruisett.com is one of the websites.

[Life is Good Cruising]

cruisecal.com (itinerary lookup) is another website

[PAcruiser25]

How many formal nights are there on an 8 day cruise - 2?

 

Do they charge the regular adult service fee at Giovanni's for a child who would just have a kid's mac and cheese?

 

Is there a Ben and Jerry's on every ship???

[Clarea]

How many formal nights are there on an 8 day cruise - 2?

 

Do they charge the regular adult service fee at Giovanni's for a child who would just have a kid's mac and cheese?

 

Is there a Ben and Jerry's on every ship???

Yes, two formal nights on an 8 day cruise.

[tombo30]

The "Print Luggage Tag" button will appear on the online check-in page at 49 days before the cruise.

 

Any thoughts on why I didn't get this option at 49 days? (at 46 now)

Also no cruise docs either, yet some folks on our roll call have?

[Clarea]

Any thoughts on why I didn't get this option at 49 days? (at 46 now)

Also no cruise docs either, yet some folks on our roll call have?

I've seen cruise docs delayed if Choice Air was on the booking. I'd call Royal and ask them. You may have some odd (or erroneous) outstanding balance.