The primary day of a Royal Caribbean cruise is an thrilling time. Your trip has simply begun and you’ve got a whole cruise filled with discovering new ports, consuming scrumptious meals, watching top-notch leisure, and enjoyable by the ocean forward of you.
Whereas it’s tempting to get onboard and instantly begin partying and having fun with the day, there are some things you are able to do to maximise your time, cash, and trip time afterward.
From arriving on the cruise terminal to creating eating reservations, exploring the ship, and discovering the very best spot for sailaway, listed below are among the greatest do’s and don’ts for the primary day of your Royal Caribbean cruise.
Do: Discover your embarkation port
In case you arrived at your embarkation port the evening earlier than, take a while within the morning on embarkation day to discover town. Stroll round South Seaside in Miami, go to the Opera Home in Sydney, or store at Pike Place Market in Seattle.
Deal with the morning of embarkation day as an additional port cease versus ready round in your lodge.
Do: Have required paperwork straightforward to entry on the terminal
You’ll want to preserve objects like passports, unfavourable Covid-19 take a look at outcomes, vaccine playing cards, and many others. simply accessible on the terminal on embarkation day.
You’ll possible be requested to point out this stuff a number of occasions all through the check-in course of, so holding them multi functional place is useful.
Do: Drop off baggage with the porters
Once you arrive on the cruise terminal on embarkation day, depart your baggage with the porters. We suggest taking a small carry-on bag (backpack or purse) on the ship with you, however leaving greater baggage with the porters.
Baggage can be delivered to your stateroom later within the day, so that you gained’t have to fret about lugging your large suitcase or duffel bag across the ship. It is customary to offer a small tip for every bag you allow with the porters.
Associated: Must you use the porters to take your baggage in your cruise ship?
Do: Pack necessary objects in your carry-on
In case you’re leaving your baggage with the porters on the cruise terminal, remember to pack necessary objects into your carry-on bag. Passports, cash, bank cards, treatment, cellphone chargers, and many others. ought to all be packed in a carry-on bag to make sure you have entry to the objects in case your baggage encounters any delays attending to your stateroom.
Do: Deliver wine, soda, or water bottles onboard
Royal Caribbean permits visitors to carry two 750ml bottles of wine or champagne onboard per stateroom.
As well as, visitors can carry as much as 12 commonplace (17 oz.) cans, bottles, or cartons of non-alcoholic drinks like soda or water per stateroom.
Preserve these drinks with you within the cruise terminal as an alternative of inserting them within the baggage you give to the porters.
Learn extra: What meals or drinks you are allowed to carry on a Royal Caribbean cruise
Do: End the eMuster drill early within the day
Royal Caribbean’s eMuster drill is simple and handy, so remember to full all three steps early within the day when you get onboard. Don’t be the trigger for fixed bulletins reminding visitors to finish the drill!
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Do: Reserve leisure
As quickly as you get onboard, open Royal Caribbean’s app and reserve leisure reveals for the week. Not all reveals require a reservation, however the most well-liked productions (Two70 reveals, AquaTheater reveals, and many others.) would require reservations.
Our suggestion is to make leisure reservations for the primary day of the present every week. Exhibits could be canceled attributable to climate or different unexpected circumstances, so making reservations for early within the week will guarantee you may have loads of time to see the present if it needs to be rescheduled.
Do: Make eating reservations
In case you have a eating bundle, remember to make reservations as quickly as you get onboard to make sure you can choose the eating places and eating occasions that work greatest for you. You don’t have to go to every particular person specialty restaurant to make reservations, because the crew member at one restaurant could make reservations for different eating places onboard.
The one exception to that is at Izumi Hibachi/Teppanyaki. Reservations for hibachi can solely be made at Izumi, so it’s a good suggestion to go there first for eating reservations.
Associated: Royal Caribbean specialty eating packages information
Do: Pack a swimsuit in your carry-on
Swimming pools, whirlpools, and water slides can be found to make use of on embarkation day, and also you’ll usually discover that they’re much much less crowded than different days onboard. Be certain to pack a swimsuit in your carry-on bag so you can begin your trip immediately with a sunny afternoon on the pool.
Associated: The Final Cruise Packing Listing
Do: Take pleasure in lunch onboard
One of many first issues many passengers do as soon as onboard is eat lunch. Many venues are open on embarkation day, together with the Windjammer, Park Cafe, Cafe @ Two70, Cafe Promenade, Sorrento’s Pizza, some specialty eating places, and extra!
Do: Verify Important Eating Room reservations
Whereas exploring the ship on embarkation day, remember to head to the Important Eating Room to substantiate your eating reservation and desk. In case you would like your personal desk however are seated at a desk with different passengers, see if the employees can accommodate your request.
In case you have any dietary restrictions that you simply knowledgeable Royal Caribbean of prematurely, remember to verify that the request has been acquired.
Associated: Prime 10 insider ideas for Royal Caribbean’s Important Eating Room
Do: Meet your stateroom attendant
Your stateroom attendant will go to your cabin twice a day for housekeeping service. It’s really helpful to satisfy your stateroom attendant on the primary day of your cruise to introduce your self.
Stateroom attendants will go door to door to attempt to meet everybody within the cabins they service on embarkation day, so take a minute to say hi there!
Do: Verify your cabin
As soon as cabins are prepared on embarkation day, do a fast verify to verify the whole lot is working correctly. Check the lights, shops, tv, and many others. In case you want beds separated or have any extra preferences, make sure that to let your stateroom attendant know.
Associated: 8 issues it’s best to learn about your cruise ship cabin
Do: Stroll across the ship
Taking a while to discover the ship on embarkation day can provide you a greater sense of what’s accessible onboard and the place the whole lot is situated.
Exploring the ship will in all probability come naturally all through the day as you make your technique to and out of your cabin, the pool deck, lunch, leisure reveals, and many others.
Do: Register youngsters at Journey Ocean
Royal Caribbean’s Journey Ocean programming for youths holds an “open home” on embarkation day the place you may discover the amenities and signal your kids up for Journey Ocean.
It solely takes a couple of minutes to register youngsters for Journey Ocean, so it’s a good suggestion even if you happen to aren’t certain that your youngsters will attend.
Plus, sending your youngsters to Journey Ocean on the primary day of the cruise can enable them to make associates immediately, as the primary day is a major time for making new associates onboard.
Do: Unpack
As soon as your baggage is delivered to your stateroom, take a while to unpack your belongings. Whereas it’s acceptable to stay out of your suitcase all week, taking time to unpack garments and different private objects into your stateroom’s closets and drawers may also help you are feeling extra “at dwelling” in your cabin.
Do: Take pleasure in an embarkation day drink
Nothing screams “cruise trip” fairly like a tropical cocktail by the pool, and that’s precisely what it’s best to take pleasure in on embarkation day!
After having lunch onboard, head to one of many many bars on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship to order a cocktail (or mocktail!) and get your trip off to a improbable begin.
Associated: 8 mocktails to strive in your subsequent Royal Caribbean cruise
Do: Discover the very best sailaway spot
Every class of Royal Caribbean cruise ships differ in format and design, so remember to scope out the very best sailaway spot on embarkation day to make sure you have the very best views of your ship leaving port.
Listed below are a few of our favourite spots for sailaway:
- Imaginative and prescient Class ships: deck 10 ahead
- Radiance, Voyager, and Freedom Class ships: helicopter pad
- Quantum and Oasis Class ships: Solarium bridge wings
Do: Take time to loosen up
Embarkation day could be a bit hectic onboard, with hundreds of passengers navigating their method across the ship. From getting via the cruise terminal to creating reservations, finishing the eMuster drill, and unpacking, it’s straightforward to really feel overwhelmed.
Bear in mind to take a while to loosen up on embarkation day, whether or not lounging on a pool chair, having fun with the recent tubs within the Solarium, or just sitting in a lounge with a drink.
Do: Order a number of objects within the Important Eating Room
One in every of our prime ideas concerning the Important Eating Room on a Royal Caribbean cruise is that you could order as a lot as you’d like. In case you’re having bother deciding between appetizers, predominant programs, or desserts on embarkation day, order a number of objects!
In any case, why select between the important thing lime pie and chocolate hazelnut cake when you may have them each!
Associated: 7 cruise ship Important Eating Room guidelines to observe– Plus 1 to interrupt
Do: Join onboard actions
Whereas most onboard actions don’t require making a reservation prematurely, there are a number of that do: RipCord by iFLY, North Star, Zone Zero, and the escape rooms.
Open the Royal Caribbean app on embarkation day and make reservations for these actions to make sure you can choose the date and time that works greatest to your schedule.
RipCord by iFLY and North Star provide each complimentary and further price choices, so if you happen to don’t need to pay for these actions it’s really helpful to order the exercise ASAP as soon as onboard.
Do: Take a spa tour
The Vitality Spa provides free excursions of their amenities on embarkation day, which could be a good technique to see what the spa has to supply and study extra about which therapies can be found.
That is additionally a superb time to substantiate your current spa reservations or e book an appointment.
Do: Obtain the Royal Caribbean app
The Royal Caribbean app is an especially great tool in your cruise, because it’s the place you’ll discover a checklist of every day actions, your billing data, deck maps, and extra.
Having the Royal Caribbean app downloaded in your cellphone in preparation for the primary day of your cruise is really helpful so that you simply don’t waste any time as soon as onboard.
Now that we’ve reviewed what it’s best to do on the primary day of your cruise, let’s check out the don’ts.
Don’t: Fly to the port the identical day as your cruise
One of the crucial crucial issues not to do is fly to the cruise port on the identical day as your cruise. Sudden delays, missed connections, and cancellations are extraordinarily widespread in air journey, so remember to arrive the day earlier than your cruise to permit for some further wiggle room.
Associated: Why you shouldn’t fly to your cruise the identical day it begins
Don’t: Arrive on the port earlier than your check-in time
Whereas it’s hit and miss whether or not a departure port strictly adheres to the scheduled check-in time you picked when checking in on-line, it’s nonetheless greatest apply to point out as much as port at your scheduled check-in time.
In case your check-in is at 12PM and also you arrive at 11:15, you’ll in all probability be allowed to board. In case your check-in time isn’t till 2PM, nonetheless, and also you arrive at 10AM, you’ll almost definitely have to attend some time.
Don’t: Go to Visitor Providers on the primary day
Visitor Providers is an especially useful service all through the cruise, as crew members can reply any questions you might have, settle billing discrepancies, and many others.
On the primary day of the cruise, nonetheless, Visitor Providers could be susceptible to lengthy strains. It’s greatest to save lots of any questions for the second day of the cruise or go to Visitor Providers throughout much less busy occasions of the day reminiscent of throughout dinner.
Don’t: Solely contemplate the Windjammer for lunch
Whereas the Windjammer buffet provides almost countless decisions, it may be extraordinarily busy for embarkation day lunch. Think about skipping the crowds and consuming at one other venue as an alternative, reminiscent of Park Cafe or Sorrento’s.
In case you are hoping for a extra relaxed really feel to embarkation day lunch, make a reservation at a specialty restaurant for a a lot calmer ambiance than what you’ll discover on the buffet.
Associated: Information to Royal Caribbean’s Windjammer Cafe buffet
Don’t: Go away your cellphone service on
Bear in mind to place your cellphone on airplane mode earlier than sailaway! Even you probably have worldwide service, it almost definitely doesn’t rely cruises into the cellphone plan. Keep away from extraordinarily excessive cellphone payments by inserting your cellphone on airplane mode.
Don’t: Attempt to do the whole lot
It may be tempting to pack the primary day of your cruise with actions. There are such a lot of enjoyable issues to do on a cruise, from watching Broadway musicals to indoor skydiving, bumper vehicles, zip lining, browsing simulators, mini golf, and extra.
Don’t attempt to do the whole lot on the primary day, although, and bear in mind that you could unfold out actions all through the cruise. You might be onboard to loosen up, in any case, so don’t make your self exhausted by attempting to suit the whole lot in sooner or later!
Don’t: Wait to e book excursions
Each Royal Caribbean ship has a Shore Excursions space onboard the place you may study extra about which excursions can be found, speak to crew members specializing in excursions, and e book excursions to your cruise itinerary.
It’s really helpful that you simply e book excursions in advance as an alternative of ready to take action on the ship in order that the excursions you have an interest in don’t promote out. Whereas it may be useful to speak to crew members concerning the excursions in additional element, you run the chance of far fewer excursions being accessible in comparison with reserving forward of time.
