Plan to Cruise to a Great Vacation

If you want to get the most out of your upcoming cruise, there’s just no substitute for doing some homework. Here’s where it can count:

To go to the show

Booking a show on Royal Caribbean online before your cruise can make the difference between seeing it or missing it. If you don’t reserve in advance, your only hope is going to the theater before it starts, standing on line and crossing your fingers that there are some no-shows.

 

Sign up online in advance to make sure you see this fabulous show on Allure of the Seas

For your dinner dining

When you book your trip, on many ships, you have to commit to same-place/same-time dining or “my time” dining. Noting how late the ship is in each port and when the shows run will help you decide what’s best for you.

On Royal Caribbean, if you’re doing specialty dining, you’ll need to plan carefully—the restaurants won’t give you a reservation less than two hours from one of your shows.

 

You won't get your meal at Wonderland on Harmony of the Seas less than two hours before your show

The ports you’ll visit

So you don’t have any surprises, you may want to do two levels of planning—study the itinerary and research the islands. Particularly:

Is it an island holiday? One trip, we found ourselves on an island during its national holiday and half the stores were closed. Another time, another island, it was Sunday and everything was closed but the supermarket. Here’s one site that can help your research on island holidays.

Short or long stay? The hours of arrival and departure vary quite a bit from one port to the other. We’re late risers and port stays of 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. mean we have enough time to get off the ship and back on—and that’s about it.

Dock or tender? Tendering means you spend more time traveling back and forth, and less on the island. It also means you’ll need to do some careful planning if you’re taking a non-sponsored excursion.

The way you’ll spend your sea day

Note that there are some restrictions on what can be worn for some of the activities. For example, closed-toed shoes are required for the sports court, Rip Cord and Laser Tag. Two-piece bathing suits are a no-no for FlowRider. And you’ll also need to sign a waiver to do some of the ship’s activities.

 

You'll need to sign a waiver before you surf on Allure of the Seas

The bottom line

Of course, there are many other things you may want to know before you go, and I’ve only covered a few. The best sources for info on your ship are the cruise line’s websites in the section for booked guests and cruisecritic.com (particularly the Boards, where you can ask questions). The more you read, the more you learn, the more likely you’ll get the great vacation you paid for.

What to Know Before You Go

You’ve done your shopping, planning and packing. But before you sit back and tick off the days, here are some things to know before you go:
 
First things first. Did you do your online check-in? How far in advance you need to do it varies by cruise line. We do it about six weeks before the trip. While you’re printing up your boarding pass, don’t forget to also do the luggage tags. You’ll need a color printer for these. And to staple them to your bags.


Signing a waiver is a must for climbing the walls
on Royal Caribbean ships

And did you…Sign up for shows (Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class ships), book the specialty restaurants you wanted to, sign the waivers that you need? (For Royal Caribbean, to use the zip line, FlowRider®, rock climbing and skating; you can sign them online up to three days before you leave.)

Carryon but don’t carry on. Most of the time, your luggage doesn’t show up at your stateroom right away. In fact, sometimes, it doesn’t even show up in time for dinner. So, you might want to slip something nicer than your shorts into your carryon. 


You'll need reservations for the Allure's
150 Central Park

When to bring your own. Even though the ships provide these, you might want to consider bringing your own blow dryer and shampoo. The ship blow dryers are usually substandard and the mass market cruise ships today are all going to shampoo dispensers in the shower.

Speaking of bringing your own, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Princess all let you bring a limited number of bottles of wine onboard. You can only drink them in your stateroom without incurring extra cost, but there’s nothing like sipping white wine on the balcony. You can get some nice wine bottle carriers with shoulder straps, which make toting them onto the ship a snap.  
 
All that baggage. When you get to the port, you’ll be surrendering all your suitcases except your carryon. Expect chaos. There are cabs, buses and cars converging in the same small place, trying to avoid creaming cruisers and each other. You’ll be directed to the drop-off, where baggage guys will take your suitcases off your hands and onto the ship.
 
Some of the cruise lines are offering fly/luggage programs, where they handle your luggage from flight to float, so you don’t even need to deal with it at all. There is a fee for this service.
 
Important: tip them. The baggage guys expect tips. The online forums are filled with horror stories of when people didn’t give them money or even when the amount fell short. Bottom line: if you want to see your stuff again, tip them and tip them enough.
 
Your passport to pleasure. Keep your passport handy when you get to the terminal. You’ll need to show it several times as you make your way to check-in. You will also need to present your boarding pass (what you print up during the online process) when you check in at the terminal.
 
In sickness and in health. A routine part of the check-in process these days is that you sign a form acknowledging that you don’t have any signs of sickness. What they’re really looking for is to keep norovirus from coming onboard with you.
 
Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. Speaking of norovirus, the best way to stay healthy during your trip is not to dodge the lady with the spray, and to also bring your own stuff. The bad germs can be spread via railings and banisters, elevator buttons, ladles in the buffet, salt and pepper shakers, the TV remote control, telephone, door knobs and I’m sure there are some I haven’t thought of. We bring our own wet wipes and sanitizer sprays and use them continuously throughout each day.

Two smiles and says cheese. You’ll have two photos at check in—one you must say yes to, and the other is up to you. The first is for your sea card, which is your ID card and credit card rolled into one. You can’t get on or off the ship without it.

The other photo is for the benefit of the ship’s photographer, who will nab you as you head toward the gangway. You can oblige him. Or duck him. The choice is yours.

 
Read the fine print. Every day, your room steward will leave you with a newsletter, which is full of info on the activities of the day. Read it closely. There are details on when to be back onboard after port, whether you need to reset your watch and how to dress for dinner. As well as the shows, the sales and the all-important drink of the day. And sometimes, even the best events onboard are buried in the fine print.
 
Well, now you know it all. What’s left? Check out the weather at your ports of call, use your free Ship Mate app to track your ship and…have a great trip!

Musing’s Top Tip: Check out the great article from Travel & Leisure on the best time to apply for a passport and what you can expect on wait times. For more on passports, see the posting “The One Thing You Absolutely Must Know Before You Cruise.”