If you’ve booked a Royal Caribbean cruise for the first time, or you are considering taking your first cruise, it’s okay not to completely know what to expect. Just like when you take your first trip to Walt Disney World or fly to a foreign country for the first time, you’re not going to get everything right immediately.
For example, you might not know the best way to avoid crowds at lunch on embarkation day, or the best time to head to the gangway when you get to your first port. And that’s okay.
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Having said that, there are some mistakes that first-timers make that are not only fairly easy to avoid but can make a big difference in how much you enjoy your cruise. Here are three in particular that you should be aware of before sailing for the first time.
Utopia of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s newest ship.
Image source: Dan Kline/Come Cruise With Me
1. Not planning ahead
One of the worst mistakes I made the first time I took my family on a cruise was failing to plan ahead. And I don’t just mean booking the cruise itself well in advance, I mean staying on top of things in the months prior to your sailing date. Just to name a few examples:
Checking in online as soon as possible can make a big difference, and Royal Caribbean lets you do this up to 45 days prior to sailing. The biggest reason is that when you check in, you get to select your boarding time – and the earlier slots fill up fast. By checking in as soon as you can, you can select an early slot and add a few hours to your vacation.
Dining reservations at specialty restaurants during prime dinner hours tend to book far in advance, plus you can save money by purchasing before your cruise. The same goes for many shore excursions. Don’t count on your top choices still being available when you board the ship.
If you’re sailing on an Oasis-class or Icon-class ship, you can book show reservations in advance. Shows at the Aquatheater, the ice show, and the Broadway-style musicals tend to fill up quickly. And while there is a standby line before the show, there’s no guarantee you’ll get in without a reservation.
2. Overpacking clothes and underpacking other essentials
The first cruise we took as a family was an 8-night Caribbean sailing over Christmas week. But judging by our luggage, you might have thought we were moving in for a cruise around the world.
One thing I learned very quickly is that you won’t need nearly as many clothes as you think. After that first cruise, literally three-fourths of the clothes we brought remained clean and folded when we brought them home.
Unless you’re cruising to Alaska or somewhere else cold, you’ll end up spending lots of time in bathing suits and flip-flops, and not nearly as much time as you think in clothes you might normally wear at home. Now, I pack one full outfit for each day of the cruise, a few bathing suits and sun shirts, and one “nice” outfit for formal night. My wife and kids do the same.
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On the other hand, it’s a common mistake to not over-prepare with things like over-the-counter medications, prescriptions, feminine products, and other items you might need.
If you’ve only taken land-based vacations, you might be used to being able to simply run to the nearest Walgreens or CVS if you forget something, but you don’t have that luxury on a ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships have a modest selection of these items available but don’t count on being able to find everything.
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3. Not researching ports
As a final thought, it’s important to know where your cruise is going and what you’re going to do when you get there.
I don’t just mean knowing the names of the destinations. It’s important to know things like whether it’s safe to wander around outside of the port area (not the case in places like Jamaica), if there are public beaches, and more.
It’s also important to have a plan – especially if you’re traveling with kids. On our first cruise, we stopped at St. Maarten. It’s a beautiful island, so we figured we’d just find a beach and spend the day.
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Not only is that easier said than done, but we happened to arrive on a rainy morning. We scrambled to find something to do and ended up splitting the cost of a sightseeing van with another family. But it wasn’t ideal, and booking an excursion in advance would have resulted in a far more pleasant (and less stressful) day.
The bottom line is that all three of these things require a bit of effort on your part before you sail. But by taking these extra steps to prepare, you’ll set yourself up for a smoother and more enjoyable vacation.
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