What to Expect on a Royal Caribbean Cruise

I’ve been on seven cruises, and three different lines - including Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean. While I thought I knew it all, cruising with Royal Caribbean threw me for a loop; that being said, there’s a lot I wish I had known before boarding their ship.

Whether this is your first cruise, or your first time cruising with Royal Caribbean, there’s a few things you’ll need to prepare for.

Restaurant deals. If you plan to eat at more than one of the special restaurants (where the price is not included), they have a deal where you can get a pretty good discount. I believe we were able to eat at both the steakhouse (probably wouldn’t recommend) and Jamie Oliver’s Italian (can’t recommend enough) for $79 a person.

We weren’t aware of this deal until after finishing our meal at the steakhouse, so make sure to ask your waiter.

Booking shows ahead of time. Royal Caribbean is known for their Broadway quality shows, and that’s one of the reasons we went with them this time; however, unlike other cruise lines, you need to reserve seats ahead of time - like, way ahead of time. Before the ship set sail, many of the shows were already sold out. Luckily for us, one of our rooms was a suite, so we had already reserved sections - but even then, we had to arrive ahead of time to the shows. If we were to arrive within 10 minutes before showtime, our seats may be given up to others in line.

If you aren’t staying in a suite, book your shows online. You may do this weeks in advance. If everything is sold out, show up to the show 15 minutes ahead of time - if those with reserved seats aren’t there yet, they will let you take their spots.

Eat immediately when you board the ship. When we boarded Harmony of the Seas in Cape Canaveral, we were ready to try all the food aboard - but more than anything, we wanted to scope out the ship first (it is the largest cruise ship, after all). Normally we go grab a bite when the ship is leaving port, so that we can relax and watch us leave. Do not do this. Shortly before leaving port, every restaurant closes until dinner. If you’re hungry, you will starve until 6pm (and one normally boards at 1pm). Literally no food will be available for you, so eat before exploring the ship.

View during dinner at ‘My-time dining’ section.

My-time dining. Normally, this means show up whenever and eat. Not here. There’s a very long line you’ll be waiting in before you get a table. Initially, we stood in line for almost an hour.

Show up before they open the dining hall (around 6pm) so that you will be first in line to get a table.

Suite benefits. We had one suite and one regular room. One of the most frustrating things about this cruise was their lack of communication about suite benefits. If you’ve booked a suite, or are considering it, here’s what you need to know.