Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbean
This is a guide to all things Royal Caribbean. Between my mom and I, we have 12 Royal Caribbean cruises under our belt, so we have the ins and outs of what you should know before onboard your next (or first!) Royal Caribbean Cruise.
Cruise Fare
We’re a family of 4 — 2 adult children and 2 parents. While we could stay in one room, occasionally we’re able to snag a great deal where it’s more cost-effective to book 2 separate rooms rather than accommodating four people in a single room. If you’re booking for 4 people, always price out 2 people per stateroom, and 4 people in 1 stateroom to find out which is cheaper.
On Oasis of the Seas, we had 2 Boardwalk Balcony cabins with 2 people in each for $1,082 per cabin ($541 per person).
We have stayed in all sorts of rooms, from an interior to a junior suite, and this Boardwalk Balcony was one of my favourites! Cabin 10721.
<— Our Room!
Food
MOST food on Royal Caribbean is included in the cruise fare! There are always specialty restaurants that are available for purchase, but I prefer to just eat in the Windjammer and the Main Dining Room (MDR) since the food is incredible. The MDR is always so elegant, and truly one of my favourite places to just admire while onboard.
Drink Packages
This is always one of the more expensive add-ons to a cruise vacation. To be honest, we’re still figuring out if the drink packages are worth it. The cruise line offers 3 different packages that can be suitable for anyone depending on their needs.
Deluxe Beverage Package — This includes all drinks INCLUDING alcohol
Water, Soda, Beer, Wine, Mixed Drinks, Juices, Premium Coffee & Tea, and Johnny Rockets Milkshakes
Refreshment Package — This includes everything EXCEPT alcohol
Water, Soda, Mocktails, Juices, Premium Coffee & Tea, and Johnny Rockets Milkshakes
Classic Soda Package — This only includes soda
Soda (Coke Products)
If the DBP is $100/day or less, I would say go for it. It’s never really cheaper than that. But consider how many drinks you think you’ll have in a day. If you can have 8 or more alcoholic drinks every day (including port days where you’re likely off the ship for most of the day), then it’ll definitely be worth it for you!
FIRST TIME CRUISERS: If you are legal drinking age, and one person in your stateroom is getting the alcohol package, then all people of legal drinking age in your stateroom must purchase it as well. Contact Royal Caribbean to determine if you are exempt from this rule. (i.e., roommate is pregnant/breastfeeding, roommate has overcome an alcohol addiction, etc).
MONEY SAVING TIP: Each guest who is of legal drinking age can bring 1 bottle of wine onboard the day of embarkation. AND each stateroom is allowed to bring 12 standard size cans of soda. So if you are going on a shorter cruise, this could save you hundreds of dollars.
*Note that these must go in your carry-on for embarkation day. Do not put it in your checked luggage.
Excursions/Port Day
We did not do an excursion in Costa Maya. We actually just stayed in the cruise port where they have a huge pool, some shops, and a Mexican restaurant. If we ever find ourselves back in Costa Maya, I would leave the cruise port for the day. It was beautiful and relaxing, but it was expensive. The restaurant alone was around $100 USD (which for us is closer to $130 since we’re Canadian). We each had a plate of chicken tacos, and we shared chips and salsa. We knew we were partially paying for the destination, but I’m sure it would have been cheaper if we had left the port area.
The best part about staying in the port were the views of the ship. We also got to see flamingos which was so cool! Some may think its normal, but living in Canada, I had never been so close to a flamingo! The closes I’ve been to them was on Kilimanjaro Safari in Animal Kingdom at Disney World in Florida.
