how early can i board my royal caribbean cruise

2) Take a security photo. 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. If not, just leave blank. Any money saved is always welcome! Its recommended to have travel insurance. Aurea is the most expensive options and could cost anywhere from $150 to $600 more than the lowest cost experience. We arrived on time (1pm) and waited over three hours to board. 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. The right slugs can turn a 12 gauge shotgun into a. It was 6 years ago and I still remember my waiters name. The cost is $129 for a 3-5 day cruise and $199 for a 6-9 day cruise with higher rates for longer voyages. The difference is booking onboard will get you extra onboard credit and reduced deposit. Like what you see? You can read more about me here- Meet Shari. Cayman Islands: Who's Who & Business Guide. If you're reading this at home, you're still better off booking a cruise now, rather than waiting to book onboard your ship. We make sure to pack several items in our backpack, which I will include below: Youll notice that many of the items listed above are needed because our kids swim on embarkation day. For everyone's sanity, this rule does not apply to cruise ships. Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. One of the best mantras for cruise planning is book as early as you can in order to get the lowest price. If a ship sails a journey to a "nearby" foreign port, a passenger still can't leave the ship permanently at a different U.S. port than the embarkation point (nearby foreign . You really do not want to bethat personin the airport losing their mind because the latest delay means the entire vacation is in jeopardy. The majority of cruises leave port at 4 or 5:00 pm. Answer (1 of 9): It is becoming more common to have a check-in time on your boarding pass. If you wait weeks or months to book a cruise onboard, the price of the cruise may increase and negate any savings you'd receive from the extra onboard credit. Just one of the perks of being a suite guest on a cruise ship is having priority access. Royal Caribbean sells its cruises largely based on the concept of supply and demand. Using a travel agent simplifies this entire process. It wasn't nearly as easy as usual. By having a reservation, you will be seated faster. Before you book a room, look at the ship's deck plans and look what is above and below your stateroom. And if this gets delayed it will also impact when you can embark. And in many cases, the port you are departing from has its own cultural and historical attractions that you can explore. From sunny Aruba to, If you are at least a Diamond member or above in Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society, here is a great way to, Taking a Royal Caribbean cruise is a great family vacation because of all the great things to see and do onboard. Check-in opens up 45 days before your cruise begins. The Key is an optional add-on you can purchase to get VIP benefits, including an early check-in time. Things like hats, coverups, important paperwork and more would be ideal. 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 make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. In addition, Royal Caribbean has onboard laundry services you can use to make wearing the same clothes later in the cruise more practical. This means the terminal will open up . Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. I booked my Symphony of the Seas cruise five months in advance of my February sail date. 1. If you want a ship with a Broadway show, book Oasis or Harmony of the Seas, but skip Wonder of the Seas. After we completed this check-in procedure, our family sat in the waiting area until it was our turn to board the ship. Guests may be able to check in earlier but will usually not be able to embark until this time. That seems like a lot to save an hour or two on embarkation day. In general, on a cruise with RCI, you can change 1 bane, no problem, as long as at least one original guest stays . Its not a lengthy process but should you need to stop along the way to gather a piece of information, do not worry. 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. You can view all the shore excursions available by logging into Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner and browsing the shore excursions by port. Due to government regulations requiring cruise lines to submit final departure . Priority line at ship attractions and water slides during regular hours. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. And loyalty perks usually involve priority access to the ship. There are also two different times to consider: what time can you board your ship and what time can you arrive at the port to check-in. Usually, guests who book The Key are allowed to check-in with the first group (an exact time will be emailed later). But if you're at home, it's still a good idea to book as early as you can to lock in the lowest price. Please note:All guests must be checked-in and onboard the ship no later than 90 minutes prior to the published sailing time or you will not be permitted to sail. As an added bonus, by arriving to your embarkation port at least a day early, that means you get to start your vacation sooner! Royal Caribbean typically allows cruisers to choose arrival times in thirty-minute blocks as shown in the image below. Please see my disclosure policy at the bottom of this page for more details.). Follow along on this incredible voyage! 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. You can bring soda, water, energy drinks and any other non-alcoholic beverages. Guests can use onboard credit towards purchasing Royal Caribbean'sshore excursions if they book onboard. If you're on the fence about buying a Royal Caribbean drink package, keep in mind you can use them at Royal Caribbean's private islands. my last NCL cruise was out of tamp. . Having an extra day or two provides a buffer to account for travel delays. We were technically allowed to arrive an hour before this 10:30 slot since we were suite guests. In addition, these roll calls are helpful because someone might spot a change or announcement before you, which can greatly benefit you by getting ahead of the pack. Suite guests still need to get a check-in time for their sailing, butusuallythey will be give more flexibility in their times. But once youre approved you will get a 5% discount on any future MSC sailing along with some other discounts on ship amenities. These nifty little secrets can save money, time or both, and so I wanted to whittle them down to thebestRoyal Caribbean tips and tricks in hopes of savingyoutime and money! The exact amount of the discount will vary from sailing to sailing, but in general, the savings of booking a drink package online before a cruise can be as much as over $10 per person, per day compared to booking it onboard. Two restaurants that always offer a cheaper lunch price than dinner are Chops Grille and Giovanni's Italian Kitchen. In addition to that you get to the best locations on the ship, personalized service, exclusive amenities, and other complimentary perks. Read more: 10 biggest tipping mistakes cruisers make. 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. A. So many aspects of the cruise experience, from saving money to saving time, can be greatly improved if you embrace the idea of doing it all early. If you can cruise during these times, there are some truly low prices to enjoy. Be sure to check it. For just a few dollars, you can make the embarkation and disembarkation process significantly easier. How soon can you board a cruise ship before departure? If you followed our previous advice about arriving to your port city early, then likely your hotel will have a check-out time in the early part of the morning, which is the perfect excuse to head to the cruise port. Weird. 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. If you are flying to your cruise port, be sure to fly in at least one day before the cruise is scheduled to depart to protect against a travel delay. This is a great spot to see the port as you leave, especially for those that do not have a balcony stateroom or simply want something a little different. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. The drink packages have become quite popular with guests, but Royal Caribbean rewards guests that purchase their drink package early with a discount. Depending on your disembarkation time and port, the time needed to arrive at the airport will vary. 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 reason is Royal Caribbean cruise fares are very erratic, and can change at a moment's notice. This is by far the least crowded time to swim on the cruise ship. This is a 9 night cruise and price per night is noted below for each cabin type. When I tried on my Android / Pixel 6 Pro, I had to hit the button a bunch of times to take a picture . (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean) You are staying in a suite. In short, to save time and money, use a good travel agent. and the answer to them all is simple: book your cruise as early as you can. 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. 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. Unfortunately, there's no wifi coverage in Labadee. The earlier you can book, the best chance you will have at getting a good price on your cruise. Read a past Cruise Compass! On cruise day, everyone is excited to board. {{alert.title}} {{notification.title}} {{notification . Once at the Muster Station, you just scan your SetSail Pass. If you're in a suite, you don't need to pay extra for this package too. Carnival allows you to check-in 14 days before the cruise date, for Royal Caribbean its 45 days, and for Norwegian Cruise Line you can check in 21 days before a sailing. Every cruise line has its own procedure for when they open up the check-in process. For lunch and dinner, you can find a rotating set of options that include pasta, stir-fry, crepes and more. The biggest key is being prepared and knowing when you should or shouldnt pay extra to get on board faster. Book entertainment and dining as soon as possible. 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. If you buy heavy duty magnets with hooks, you can use these magnets to store certain items. Those who arrive early will not be able to begin boarding, and those who arrive late will . If you are sailing on an Oasis or Quantum Class ship, you can pre-book shows in advance, such as the Broadway musicals or ice shows. You dont want to find yourself stuck in a foreign land without your passport in a worst-case scenario. But given that you must make many decisions during the booking process, it can pay to use a seasoned travel agent who specializes in cruises to help you arrange things. 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If you believe in the, "rip the Band-Aid off quickly" theory of life, than disembarking your ship early will likely result in a shorter wait. Cruise ships will usually begin boarding approximately four hours before the scheduled departure time, typically around 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. When we say "early", it essentially means as early as you can. If it is, you should feel confident that the proper gratuity is being given to that crew member. Please plan your arrival accordingly to avoid the possibility of not being permitted to sail. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! 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. You have a lot more going on there than a basic name change for the cruise, and thus really need to talk to whomever it is you booked through. 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. The FCC . You will not have to start over! Posted January 23, 2012. Cruise ships have to receive clearance from port authorities in order to be able to allow passengers from the previous cruise off the ship. 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. Royal Caribbean warns there could be a delay in beginning the check-in procedure if you're late, but you will still be able to get to the cruise. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? A second way to grab an early port arrival time is by purchasing The Key. You can actually get hundreds of dollars of onboard credit by simply booking onboard, but the exact amount depends on how long a sailing you book and in which stateroom category. Unlike Traditional Dining, you will not be seated at the same table . Remember, if your suitcase will not fit through the x-rays at the security check-point you will have to employ the services of the porter anyway. #4 Check into your cruise as soon as you can Royal Caribbean now enforces its check-in times, so be sure to check-in for your cruise as soon as check-in opens. Since 2021, Royal Caribbean has mostly been enforcing check-in times, so it's important to get a good time as early as you can. The faster you get on the cruise ship on embarkation day, the sooner you can start enjoying your vacation. Whether this is your first cruise or youre a seasoned pro, we hope you have a great trip! How to Get on Your Cruise Ship As Early as Possible: 7 We hate spam as much as lounge chair hogs. The benefits wont always be the same, and you have to fill out a form and wait for approval. Take advantage of the opportunity to get tickets and not be stuck in a line waiting to enter the theater or worse, miss out on the show completely. This allows us to keep our things organized and within easy access. There's an impressive amount of discounts and benefits included in Royal Caribbean's loyalty program that you should absolutely know about in advance. Rope dropping is also a great strategy for the sort of activities that quickly generate a line. As an added bonus, by arriving to your embarkation port at least a day early, that means you get to start your vacation sooner! These are the times of year when demand is less for cruises to certain regions. Royal Caribbean allows guests to bring up to 12 bottles/cans of non-alcoholic beverages per stateroomwith them on embarkation day. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. Yes, a suite is more expensive. Required fields are marked *, document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a0f9c8c1261d574f1224454f4fa00eeb" );document.getElementById("d5aa0859c9").setAttribute( "id", "comment" );Comment *. Lots of passengers arrive early, standing in line for the opportunity to board early and be among the first on the ship. Prior to sailing, guests may change or cancel their show reservations online up to 4 days prior to their cruise start date. What time to arrive at the port. First, we recommend choosing your port arrival time before completing anything else during online check in. They offer guests the option to drink as much as they want on their cruise for a fixed price. 2. And the earlier check-in time you have, the sooner you get to get onboard the ship and start vacation. Once you get onboard and connect to the ship's wifi, it will ask you if you want to just use the app. The same is true for beer . Royal Caribbean cruises that depart from the United States will often open the cruise terminal for check-in sometime between 9am and 10am. So the earlier you book your cruise, the more stateroom inventory you will have and if freshman year high school economics taught me anything, it is that supply and demand plays a big part in pricing. One of the best parts? Cruise lines offer several boarding times and can only allow for so many in each slot. Not only are the dress codes quite liberal, you can also re-use the same clothes on the same sailing. We completed our Muster Drill requirements immediately after boarding. There are two problems with buying The Key for an early check-in. If your cruise leaves at a different time than this, check with your cruise line to see what time embarkation begins. 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. For obvious reasons the early times are taken first. Laundry costs extra, but it may save you money compared to paying to check an extra bag at the airport. It'll guide you to aim and take the picture. You may also want to pack a dinner outfit, especially if you . Each stateroom may bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne, as long as one guest is of legal drinking age. Her whole family, including the oceanview cabin guests, were permitted to stand in the suite line. This buffet wasnt crowded at all during these early hours, and it offered a large variety of food for our big travel group. These programs often offer other perks as well that are usually only reserved for suite passengers. He also directed us on exactly where to go and made certain we understood we needed passports/identification documents. At 11:00, crew members instructed all of the suite guests to form a line. Passengers who booked by March 31, 2022, for cruises departing on or before Sept. 30, 2022, are protected by Royal Caribbean's Cruise With Confidence policy, which entitles them to 100% of the cruise fare paid in the form of FCC if they cancel for any reason. This includes accepting the cruise contract, answering the health questions, and choosing your boarding time. Norwegian Cruise Line: Priority Access Pass. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! Like what you see? When you go on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you have a choice of places to eat throughout the day. Once you board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, youll want to take care of a few chores. We like to carry a backpack onboard the ship on embarkation day. Royal Caribbean. (This post may contain affiliate links. Test out the TV, the toilet and the lights; check for bed bugs; sanitize anything you need to. One mistake a lot of new cruisers make is to book the cheapest cruise they can find because they assume the ships are more less all the same. Talk to a few agents and feel them out for their knowledge of the product and when you find one that you are comfortable with, leverage their knowledge and expertiseand book with them. Avoid a huge cell phone bill by putting your phone into airplane mode while on your cruise. There, crewmembers will typically check you in via . Corkscrews will be provided for guests to enjoy their drinks in their stateroom. Perhaps one of the most common questions we receive on Royal Caribbean Blog is about how to save money and get the best possible price for a Royal Caribbean cruise. My kids wear their bathing suits onto the ship underneath their clothes. (He was right!) So, make sure you keep everything within reach and enjoy a smooth boarding process. As for Royal Caribbean opening up additional earlier times, it's not usually the case. Often this comes down to the ports of call being visited by the cruise line. If you dont have extra room in the budget, the first point in this article will help the most. But how early can you board the cruise ship? With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! This online check-in is when you choose your port arrival time. On all ships, check for entertainment reservations once onboard the ship via the Royal Caribbean app. 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. Be the first to write a review! To redeem this benefit, you just need to email[emailprotected]withyour name, address, confirmation number, ship and sailing date along with a copy of your shareholder proxy card or a current brokerage statement showing proof of share ownership. But I have a helpful suggestion. 19 things you should do on embarkation day, 7 reasons you should splurge for a suite on a cruise, loyalty programs on 8 different cruise lines, 10 biggest tipping mistakes cruisers make, 13 Biggest Mistakes Made by Carnival Cruise Passengers [Carnival Tips], Royal Caribbean Updates Perks in Loyalty Program, Carnival to Send Newly Upgraded Ship on 14-Day Transatlantic Cruise, 7 Reasons You Should Never Fly on Cruise Day, 19 Things You Should Do on Cruise Embarkation Day in 2023, Ultimate List of Shuttles From Orlando Airport (MCO) to Port Canaveral, Best Galveston Cruise Parking Tips, Rates & Locations [Read Before Cruise], Carnival Bringing a Fourth Cruise Ship to Galveston, Texas, Carry-on bag drop off in the main dining room. This option may not beviable for everyone because families and large groups may find lugging all their stuff from the stateroom to the terminal is not practical. We have spent years sharing tips, secrets and strategies on this blog about taking a better and more fun Royal Caribbean cruise, and we discovered there is one common thread among so many of our best tips: being early.