Royal Caribbean Cruisers! Advice Please!!

I haven’t cruised before, but we’re also looking into RC for a honeymoon cruise so I’ll answer these to the best of my knowledge.

With that discount, would it be worth it to do a suite? A suite would be the only way to have a balcony. “Ocean view” is just a window. We’re definitely doing a suite. It’s pretty affordable and it’s our honeymoon so if we’re going to splurge, this is the time to do it.

Do these ships have balconies like Carnival? See above.

Is all food included? From what I understand, food is included for every meal, but they do have some higher class dining that costs extra.

Do you have to purchase a drink package? I was talking to a Carnival rep and she said that tea, water, and juice was included but like sodas was an extra $8.50 a person a day. I’ve read that soda is included, but you would need to buy a drink package for alcohol. Not 100% on this.

Ok thank you. I will look into how much a balcony room will be. This sale only lasts 3 more days so I need to talk to FH about it ASAP!

I would get a drink package for alcohol if you plan on drinking a lot, but I do not recommend drinking the water on the ship. I’d buy bottles of purified water from the bar. I believe we were paying like $18 for 6 bottles. It was worth it for us because we’re funny about water. The $1,600 is a great deal for a suite for 7 days. Guest in suites had access to private areas as well. It’s wonderful! All food is included except for specialty restaurants and they have better onboard activities than Carnival. I’ve cruised both and I like Royal Caribbean much better.

View Quoted Comment $1600 would be for an ocean view room. I went back to do a suite and it was $2900 for two people.

View Quoted Comment That’s still good. I’d book that ASAP before the sale is over. Having a suite is much bettter because you get more onboard credit and you get priority treatment and access to all of the suite only areas.

View Quoted Comment I will have to talk to FH about it.... for both we only have to do a $500 deposit and pay rest off by end of March/beginning of April.

He is kind of weary of going out of the states right now because of all this mess with the DR this summer, so it might take some convincing. However, I would buy a drink package because I am weird about drinking water that isn't bottled.

I was talking to a girl I know that does carnival cruises and a 7 day bahamas cruise with them was going to be $3500 so yeah these prices do sound better.

I just took a look - and for the $2900 that is a Junior Suite. Be aware that the website pricing is likely based on a non-refundable deposit, and that 50% off the second passenger is a sale that has been offered for YEARS. Willing to bet in three days time, you'll still see that same sale.

Also that Junior Suite category does NOT get the 'suite' privileges like the higher categories...from the Royal Caribbean blog page:

"What Junior Suites do not include

Despite the word, "suite" being in the name of the Junior Suite, guests staying in a Junior Suite do not receive the full suite perks.

This means guests do not receive the same level of benefits and access that guests staying in Grand Suite or higher staterooms do. Most notably, this includes access to the concierge lounge, concierge service or reserved suites-only areas of the ship."

A Junior Suite is essentially a larger balcony stateroom, and maybe that is enough for you.

The alcoholic beverage package on RCL varies in price. Packages range in price from $63-89 per day, per person...so you need to drink a LOT to get your money's worth here. An alcohol package for two on a 7-night cruise will run over $1,000 after the mandatory 18% tip is included (and you cannot have just one passenger in the stateroom buy the package...if one wants it, then all adults in the same stateroom must also buy it).

My husband and I cruise a lot. We consider a fare to be a great value if we spend no more than $250/night for two. We did a 10-night on RCL out of Ft Lauderdale a couple years ago for just $2200 in an balcony stateroom...that was one of our better deals.

View Quoted Comment Ok thank you for the information! We have never been on a cruise so we are completely clueless here!

View Quoted Comment

Go to Cruise Critic and start reading. Lots of information there, especially for new cruisers.

Don't discount the idea of cruising from someplace other than New Orleans. Because the number of ships that port in New Orleans, demand may be high which means prices are higher. Snag a decent airfare to Ft Lauderdale or Miami and you open up a HUGE number of options (and you can fly to either Miami or Ft Lauderdale and cruise from either spot - the two airports are only 45-60 minutes apart).

View Quoted Comment I agree with everything FirstTimeMOB has said. I’ve been on 18 cruises. The prices you are quoting don’t sound like a very good deal to me, but a lot depends on the time of year you are sailing and which ship you’ve chosen as well as the itinerary. I only cruise in balcony class cabins or higher, and I aim at staying right around $100/person/day. Make sure you read all of the fine print and are very clear on the type of fare you are booking (refundable vs non-refundable deposit, etc.)

If you are anything more than a light drinker and you have a number of sea days, the alcohol packages are usually worth it.

Food in the main dining room and buffet is included, but there are almost always specialty restaurants for an upcharge if you chose to partake.

Passports are not required for closed-loop cruises but I highly recommend having one. I would never suggest anyone leave the country without a passport.

Talk to a travel agent they can give you all the answers and the cost is the same

First, I recommend looking up youtube videos about the drink packages/ to dos and not to dos. We’re going on a RC cruise in a couple weeks out of Miami and we are heavy drinkers and got the buy one get one drink packages online. They don’t have those deals on the boat. My travel agent heavily recommended Royal Caribbean over carnival. You get more bang for your buck and carnival has less amenities. Also if you’re getting married I def suggest the RC Honeymoon registry. We would rather people gift us experiences and memories over dinnerware and household items. People love the idea that they are gifting us a good time. But yeah I’ve been watching all the YouTube videos that have a ton of tips!