how early can i board my royal caribbean cruise

Depending on your disembarkation time and port, the time needed to arrive at the airport will vary. Royal Caribbean sales promotions will come and go, but if you talk to folks who book their cruises very early, they will tell you that booking super-early beats most sales offers. The "3-1-1" rule is ubiquitous in airports. Things like medications, documents, passports, and even a bathing suit and some sunscreen can be kept in this bag. At 10:00, the doors to the terminal opened, and the suite guests were escorted to an elevator that took us to a separate security line. He also directed us on exactly where to go and made certain we understood we needed passports/identification documents. (Sponsored). Possible pranks include attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed. As for Royal Caribbean opening up additional earlier times, it's not usually the case. You can use it to check-into your cruise (more on that in the next tip), book entertainment, shore excursions and packages. Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. It's important to note that these times that you choose during online check-in are only port arrival times. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as . And in that case theres nothing you can do but sit back and make the best of it. Did you know Royal Caribbean offers extra onboard credit if you own at least a certain amount of Royal Caribbean Group stock? I pack my kids undergarments for them to put on after they swim. So which food is included and which cost extra? You'll want to do this as early as you can in order to get an early check-in time and avoid wasting time in the cruise terminal. This makes it easy to undress them poolside, and they can hop right in. All rights reserved. If you encounter problems using Online Check-in, please contact Carnival. Welcome aboard! Depending on when you go to select a time, there will be variety of 30 minute windows for you to choose from. A Royal Caribbean cruise is hands down my favorite type of vacation, and with so many years of going cruising, I have come across a lot of tricks and tips that really enhance my cruise. You can read more about me here- Meet Shari. One of the best cruise ship cabin hacks is to bring magnets with you on your cruise. The faster you get on the cruise ship on embarkation day, the sooner you can start enjoying your vacation. In short, to save time and money, use a good travel agent. This was a huge relief from the typical check-in desk with long check-in lines we have experienced in the past. The helipad onis located on the bow (front)of the ship and during sailaway, Royal Caribbean permits guests access to the helipad. Note: MSC Cruises has a status match program, so you can carry over some of the perks you have with another cruise line. Comment below to share your tips with us! One of my favorite benefits was having access to an amazing restaurant that was reserved for suite guests only. You'll need to buy The Key for every guest in the cabin (age 6 and above) for every night of the cruise. This means you can still be on Royal Caribbean's wifi and use the app, but avoid a huge bill. In order to avoid having your phone try to use its cellular connection, all modern phones have an ability to turn off its cellular signal by enabling something called, "airplane mode.". You can bring soda, water, energy drinks and any other non-alcoholic beverages. In addition to being able to use your drink package benefits nearly anywhere onboard your ship, Royal Caribbean also extends the benefit to Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas and Labadee in Haiti. Depending on the length of your sailing, you can get up to $250 onboard credit. Guests who pay for this upgraded status typically receive priority access upon arrival on embarkation day. Be the first to write a review! All rights reserved. How soon can you board a cruise ship before departure? Once you board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, youll want to take care of a few chores. Lots of passengers arrive early, standing in line for the opportunity to board early and be among the first on the ship. After we completed this check-in procedure, our family sat in the waiting area until it was our turn to board the ship. We like to carry a backpack onboard the ship on embarkation day. For instance, with Royal Caribbeans app you can simply pick your check-in time, add some basic information and come back later to complete the rest. A really common mistake is for passengers to leave their phone on like normal, and come home to a monster bill because of hefty roaming charges. NATURI A sound installation and performance for young audiences from 18 months up to physical or psychomotor skills of 4 years!. If you dont want to spend all morning waiting in lines, or if you just wish you could speed things up, this post is for you. Known. An intangible benefit to pre-purchasing anything is it saves you time onboard from doing the exact same thing, which means more vacation time back to you. Looking for the Best Cruise Deals? Been a while since I've been on Royal Caribbean and we are sailing tomorrow out of Miami. Once you're cleared to board, you will follow a gangway (elevated ramps) up to the ship. What you want to do is log onto the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's website and purchase the drink package of your choice online. Its just easier and faster. There's an impressive amount of discounts and benefits included in Royal Caribbean's loyalty program that you should absolutely know about in advance. From a bag getting lost in transit to flight cancellations, its always better to be protected than to not have insurance when you need it most. Whether this is your first cruise or youre a seasoned pro, we hope you have a great trip! You can then save this information and complete the rest of the check-in process at a later date. In addition to the non-alcoholic beverages, you can also bring up to two bottles of wine per stateroom. I dont think I need to mention how this would slow down your boarding process, but its a key element to remember when cruising. Too many parents are unaware of the open house and waste time signing their kids up as the evening session is set to begin. If you dont plan on using the pools, you may not need nearly as many items as we do. Sounds great, right? We also use the hairbrush for the kids hair after swimming. I've been seeing some comments about show reservations being sold out by the time people boarded, that is the main reason why I was wondering if Royal Caribbean is really that strict or if it's likely they might let us on earlier. Then, the dads in our group took the kids to the pool so that they could swim in virtually empty swimming areas. Like what you see? When you complete online check-in, you will be assigned a check-in time. The actual times, however, will vary by sailing. Since these are Royal Caribbean cruise tips that apply primarily to just this cruise line, it's meant to provide advice that almost anyone sailing with Royal Caribbean can use right away. The person didnt even ask for the ship name or location and gave monosyllabic responses. I wrote about this in the post on 19 things you should do on embarkation day. The Windjammer is the go-to spot for most when they get onboard their Royal Caribbean ship for lunch, but there are good alternatives that are less crowded. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. This fish feature is prominently present on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools' Day postcards. Lunch and drink package 3. By planning to arrive to your departure port at least one day early, you assure yourself that a travel delay will not impact your ability to get on your cruise. 2023 Mom's Plan-it Vacation Blog - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP, Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbeans Junior Suites, Free Printable Cruise Packing List (with Tips), Guide to Royal Caribbean Ship Classes (2023), Easy Guide to Royal Caribbean Online Check In. The boarding process for the 1/8 Adventure of the Seas cruise to the S. Caribbean was horrible. As an added bonus, by arriving to your embarkation port at least a day early, that means you get to start your vacation sooner! The cost is $129 for a 3-5 day cruise and $199 for a 6-9 day cruise with higher rates for longer voyages. Click on the person icon, and it should fire up the camera again. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! Each stateroom may bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne, as long as one guest is of legal drinking age. If your cruise leaves at a different time than this, check with your cruise line to see what time embarkation begins. On my most recent cruise on Oasis of the Seas, my family and I had junior suites booked with a 10:30 am port arrival time. A Royal Caribbean employee came over to our large group and checked in each party using her tablet. Check-in opens up 45 days before your cruise begins. The simplest and easiest way to get on the ship faster is taking care of the check-in process early. Love Cruise Fever?Sign Up to Our FREE Newsletter! For just a few dollars, you can make the embarkation and disembarkation process significantly easier. If you ask seasoned travelers how they get around these obstacles, the answer is often to give yourself more time. Suite guests still need to get a check-in time for their sailing, butusuallythey will be give more flexibility in their times. Royal Caribbean has The Key, Carnival has Faster to the Fun, and Norwegian has the Priority Access Pass. Since we were in a suite, we were able to stand in the super short line on the right. By completing online check-in early, you will have the best choice of check-in times. Once we walked to the entrance of Terminal Building A, we saw two separate lines: a LONG line on the left and a short line on the right. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. By pre-purchasing certain items, you can pay off parts of the cruise months or years in advance, allowing you to reduce the cruise bill at the conclusion of your cruise. That is a question for Royal Caribbean. or "How do I get the lowest price?" Cruise fares tend to be lower the sooner you book. Many newspapers also spread a false story on April Fish Day, and a subtle reference to a fish is sometimes given as a clue to . When it comes to travel, there are always going to be certain factors involved in the trip that you have no control over: weather, canceled flights, flat tires, and Michael Poole. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. For groups traveling with more than two people per room, however, a new policy could allow groups to bring . Aurea is the most expensive options and could cost anywhere from $150 to $600 more than the lowest cost experience. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Did you know if one adult elects to buy the unlimited alcohol package, all other adults in the same room have to get it too? Our hotel (Intercontinental Miami) was a short 15-minute drive to the Port of Miami. Royal Caribbean offers a lot of shore excursions in every port and on top of that, you can also consider shore excursions through third party groups to further expand your options. MSC Cruises has three experiences to choose from: Bella, Fantastica, and Aurea. Those who arrive early will not be able to begin boarding, and those who arrive late will . (This post may contain affiliate links. In most cases, you should be able to save at least $10 per person compared to dinner (if not more). , Cruising in 2023 is mostly back to normal following the pandemic-induced changes implemented across the industry in. In our experience, most guests see the times for an activity and begin arrivingafterthe scheduled start time. Find answers to your questions about all the requirements to board a Royal Caribbean Cruise. About a week before the cruise, the Suite Concierge will email suite guests with an introduction and outline basic suite policies, including a flexible arrival policy, where suite guests can arrive one hour before or after their check-in time. There's no way to know that's happened without checking manually. You can enjoy a lineup of adventures on a Royal Caribbean cruise from Day One, like the North Star observation capsule, ice skating and more. Most cruise terminals enforce the boarding times, but occasionally you find situations where a particular pier agent doesn't pay attention to the check-in time or say anything about it. After having paused this program during the cruise re-openings , Carnival is now offering Faster to the Fun again. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Read more: 7 reasons you should splurge for a suite on a cruise. The day your cruise begins is full of excitement, and naturally, you may be wondering what time you can board the ship. Be sure to check it. Unvaccinated travellers age 5 and The price you pay for the cruise is the same whether you board at noon or 2pm, so you may as well get the extra two hours of fun! If you have a cruise booked with Royal Caribbean, you can typically check-in around 45 days before your sail date. The common thread among these times is it is when others are unable or unwilling to go to the spa, so prices tend to be better. Please check your email and click the link to confirm, and you're all set! If you want to have a hassle-free boarding process, its important to stay organized and keep all your important documents organized and easily accessible. Guests can choose boarding times in the afternoon or earlier times of 10:30 or 11:00. Norwegians priority program offers everything from faster embarkation to quicker tendering, and even a faster debarkation process. Exclusive a la carte breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on . Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Guests who were sailing in Star Class and had access to a Royal Genie were permitted to move to the front of the line in order to receive the priority boarding that was included in their suite perks. What time to arrive at the port. Like what you see? Its also important to note that theres no best time to board the Royal Caribbean ship. When you purchase anything before your cruise via the Cruise Planner site, you will be required to pay for it at the time of purchase. Our family chose to eat lunch at Windjammer Marketplace after boarding. Since the online check-in time usually opens up at midnight (EST) 45 days before your cruise, youll want to login at this time. Once logged in, navigate toOnboard Activitiesand select the show you wish to reserve. You should always let the cruise terminal porters take your large bags for you. Read More Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbeans Junior SuitesContinue, Read More Honest Review of Perfect Day at CocoCayContinue, Read More Free Printable Cruise Packing List (with Tips)Continue, Read More Guide to Royal Caribbean Ship Classes (2023)Continue, Read More Easy Guide to Royal Caribbean Online Check InContinue, Read More Honest Review of Oasis of the SeasContinue, Your email address will not be published. Tasks such as repricing, making special requests, dealing with weather events and more are why I use a travel agent every single I book a cruise. Here are some basic considerations. While showing up early can be a problem, coming in later is not as much of a concern. If guests wish to enjoy their wine or champagne in our dining or bar venues, there will be a corkage fee applied. We enjoy being on the ship early to take advantage of as much time on board as possible. The price for The Key varies by sailing, but prices start at $25 per guest for each day of the cruise. Priority access off the ship to the shore in port. View All Cruises (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean) You are staying in a suite. Its important to note that these times that you choose during online check-in are only port arrival times. I use the Ziploc bag to hold wet swimsuits until our room is ready, so you wont need this item if you dont have a wet bathing suit to store. Don't worry, you don't need to buy an internet package to use the Royal Caribbean app. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Royal Caribbean Blog. Its not a lengthy process but should you need to stop along the way to gather a piece of information, do not worry. One of the best ways to stay informed with what's happening on your sailing is to join a roll call for your sailing. By the way, there are still delays in the passport renewal process. However, I highly recommend traveling with a passport. Those who arrive early will not be able to begin boarding, and those who arrive late will need to wait until we are able to work them into another group. Each cruiser scanned his/her SetSail Pass (from the Royal Caribbean app) and was permitted to board the ship. Royal Caribbean's fitness center has separate showers for men and women that is complimentary to use. This large room consisted of plenty of seating options, refreshments, and restrooms. This means you can get extra value from your drink package purchase while anywhere in these private destinations. Be sure to pack these items in your carry-on luggage, and not your checked luggage. Set . For your return home, you have the ability to select the flight that best suits your schedule. But did you know if you wait to book your drink package onboard the ship you will be overpaying for it? For example, a 7 day cruise with the Bella experience will earn you 500 points, while that same cruise with the Aurea experience will net you 1,000 points. You can even start using your drink packages right away to help you get into vacation mode even faster! You will not have to start over! That being said, my sister had a junior suite AND an oceanview room booked. Members also get invitations to special events, like behind-the-scenes tours of the ship. Our rooms then opened up at around 1:00 that afternoon. Her whole family, including the oceanview cabin guests, were permitted to stand in the suite line. {{alert.title}} {{notification.title}} {{notification . (He was right!) But it wasn't a nightmare either. Porters are available to assist with your luggage. It is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling about 8.6% of the total worldwide share of the cruise market by passengers as of 2021. This is not only a great opportunity for your kids to become familiar with the kids club, but also save time later so all you have to do when the club opens up is drop them off and be done. I'm not sure RCL has started that. *Please see all applicable Terms & Conditions for Promotions. If you are on a Radiance or Quantum Class ship, be sure to enjoy your meals outside while at the Windjammer. Club Orange by Holland America Line offers passengers priority access to exclusive perks and amenities, including priority check-in, stateroom upgrades, and an intimate dining venue on select ships. Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. Plus, the agents at the port wont have to take the extra time to verify your birth certificate. Please see my disclosure policy at the bottom of this page for more details.). Can anyone who has recently been on the Serenade rec. You should always check with the cruise line to see what is not allowed on their ships. Venue: The Artground Date: 4 - 12 Mar 2023 Fee: $18 per pax (Weekday), $20 per pax (Weekend). For instance, although medical marijuana may be legal in parts of the United States, it is not allowed in most part of the Caribbean, and therefore will not be permitted on the ship. Some specialty restaurants will cost less if you eat there for lunch. HOW EARLY CAN I BOARD THE SHIP? My Time Dining usually begins around 6:00pm and lasts until 9:30pm, giving you a wide range of times to choose from. $250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights, $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 to 13 nights, $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less. There arediscounts, vouchers, and even freebies anyone can take advantage of once onboard. 1. If you plan on visiting the pool deck, you'll want a bathing suit, sunscreen, and other pool essentials. (The porters also have luggage tags in case you forget to print yours.). Jon lives in the foothills of North Carolina and wishes there were a cruise port that far inland. Search Now By arriving early, you will beat the big crowds that descend upon the cruise terminal later in the day, and you also get the added benefit of having some extra time onboard the ship. Try your best to adhere to the check-in time, but they will still admit you for check-in if you were to arrive later. Today, we, While I absolutely love cruising and traveling, we all know that sometimes things dont go exactly as we planned., We all make mistakes, including when on a cruise ship. When you get the receipt to sign, look for the line item that indicates if an automatic 18% gratuity is already included. If you are concerned about the drink package price dropping, take solace in the fact you can always cancel and rebook with no penalty! Read more:Heres what The Key is (and why some cruisers like it). The online check-in process is super simple and consists of filling out personal information among other tasks. Want to know one of the best tips for avoiding the worst cruise ship cabins? Want to get an idea of what entertainment, activities and things to do (along with times) will be offered on your cruise? Usually, guests who book The Key are allowed to check-in with the first group (an exact time will be emailed later). If you selected my-time dining you will want to select your preferred time as the most popular times book up fast. The benefit of doing this is you get to "meet" other people on your sailing, which may result in new friendships, or saving money on a shore excursion or other activity that has a group discount. By enabling airplane mode, your phone is incapable of using its cellular antenna. In many cases, Royal Caribbean promises a discount on select pre-cruise purchases compared to the price onboard. Many guests are curious how early they can board a Royal Caribbean ship on embarkation day, so here is a guide for what to expect. The only trouble is you may get hooked on it, and then you will have to come up with the cash for the next cruise. The Key is an optional add-on you can purchase to get VIP benefits, including an early check-in time. The Online Check-in Process is a 4 step process and Royal Caribbean will walk you through it step by step. For assistance in navigating Online Check-in or questions on how to fill out the information - contact your travel agent or if booked directly, contact our Service Specialists at 800 327-5782, Monday through Friday, 9:00am-10:00pm ET and Saturday and Sunday, 9:00am-6:00pm . By having them get the non-alcoholic drink package, you will save a lot of money compared to buying them the Deluxe Beverage package that costs much more. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Royal Caribbean Blog. Save time on your cruise by getting your kids signed up for Royal Caribbean's complimentary kids programming on the first day of the cruise. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), also known in short as Norwegian, is an American cruise line founded in 1966, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Miami.