23 Do's and Don'ts for your 2023 Royal Caribbean cruise

are you going on a cruise in 2023 I've got a list of the things you should and shouldn't do on your cruise this year up next [Music] hey everyone it's Matt from realcomingblog.com cruising in 2023 is mostly back across the cruise industry and it's great news a lot of the protocols and challenges the last couple years have kind of faded away and going on a cruise this year means a lot of opportunities in a lot of places you can go regardless of how normal cruising is now compared to the last couple of years remaining flexible with policy changes purchasing travel insurance and arriving at your embarkation Port the day before your cruise is still as important today as it was in 2019 or even 2021 so today I though wanted to go over the do's and don'ts for your 2023 Cruise think of this as a checklist as a reminder of the best practices for going on a cruise this year let's start off with number one remain flexible I talked about that right at the start of the video and it's really important because flexibility is key when it comes to planning a Royal Caribbean cruise itinerary changes ship changes and unexpected weather decisions can alter your vacation plans whether you miss a port due to a storm a show gets canceled or your favorite special restaurant is already booked up it's important to remain flexible keeping an open mind when changes occur is really essential to avoid a small change ruining your vacation if your Port stop in Mexico gets canceled for example consider splurging on something on board like maybe a spa treatment instead of just sulking in the pool chair staying flexible ensures that you have an enjoyable vacation even if unexpected changes occur number two do book refundable Cruise fair if you're planning a cruise in 2023 I still think your best bet is to book refundable Cruise fare especially if the sailing is far in advance refundable Cruise fare allows you to receive a full refund of any deposit or Money Paid towards your vacation prior to the final payment date if you put down the 500 deposit on a cruise for example but later have to cancel the reservation for whatever reason you'll receive the deposit back with no penalty non-refundable fares on the contrary do not provide a full refund of your deposit instead you'll receive a future Cruise Credit in the amount of deposits paid minus a 100 per person service fee on the canceled Cruise if I had to come up with the top 10 list of big mistakes a lot of people make that are new to cruising it's definitely booking non-refundable fares and then changing their mind and realizing they're out money because they book non-refundable number three do purchase travel insurance if you have a cruise book in 2023 you definitely want to purchase travel insurance before your cruise good travel insurance plans will cover trip cancellation trip Interruption travel delay coverage baggage delays emergency medical coverage onboard medical expenses and other unexpected scenarios while it's always recommended to purchase travel insurance before your cruise it's especially helpful on a cruise vacation because the onboard Medical Center is not covered under most insurance plans that work at home will you probably waste money on a travel insurance plan you're never going to use yes but if you ever need it boy it is to come in handy and there are a host of situations in which people that have travel insurance greatly benefit from it it's not a lot of money I do recommend getting it for every single cruise you take number four do the online check-in as soon as it's available Royal Caribbean opens check-in 45 days before your departure date and I recommend completing the process as soon as possible checking in on the real herbin app or website allows you to get ahead of the game in preparation for your embarkation day experience you'll provide the important information like documentation photo emergency contact information Etc but most importantly you'll select a check-in time which indicates when you'll arrive at the cruise terminal on embarkation day the earlier you check in the higher chance you'll have it scoring an early check in time number five definitely book with a travel agent if you're booking a cruise in 2023 do yourself a favor use a good travel agent travel agents act as your own personal expert on Royal Caribbean Cruises booking and cruise with the travel agents not just about booking anybody can book a cruise that's not what we're talking about travel Nations provide helpful information and resources throughout the booking process and they also have access to Royal Caribbean's best deals and offers plus a good revelation will not charge any fees for the services as they get paid a commission through Royal Caribbean we're up to number six on our list and that is do what's new for Royal Caribbean in 2023. yeah realgram is constantly innovating and building new projects and there are several new offerings coming to the cruise line in 2023. something to keep an eye on is for the end of the year because Hideaway Beach will be the new adults only area of perfect day at CoCo Key and it's slated open sometime later in the year I'm thinking around November December timeline but I could be wrong of course Royal equipment has already launched their new main dining room menu which we covered in last week's video and construction will be finishing up on icon of the Seas later this year and the launch of Royal Caribbean's first world Cruise will also occur in December 2023. number seven do remember to do the muster drill Rel can introduced their new e muster safety drill in 2021 which allows guests to review the safety information at their own time on the Royal Caribbean app prior to setting sail after completing the first two steps in the app then people must visit their assembly station once on board where a crew member will verify you completed the briefing everyone on board must complete the mustard drill before the ship can leave therefore be sure to do this as soon as possible once on board to avoid being the passenger preventing the ship from leaving and being those people that call over the PA system just get it done as soon as you get on board it's super easy number eight do confirm your necessary documentation also on my list of really common mistakes that are easy to avoid is verifying that everything you have for your travel documentation is up to date first time Cruisers often don't understand which documentation is required to board a Royal Caribbean cruise I recommend having a passport for every member of your travel party but if you don't have a passport but are selling on a closed loop cruise that means a cruise that begins and ends in the United States you'll need the following documents state issued ID and official birth certificate for the adults obviously for kids the birth certificate is fine all required documentation can be found on rokerman's website but make sure you review it before the cruise and when I say before the cruise not the day before not the week before but months before that way if you realize hey where is my birth certificate or it looks like my passport's about to expire you can take care of it with enough time number nine do double check any remaining covet protocols and requirements compared to a year ago realcremon's coveted protocols and requirements are extremely relaxed in fact only a few sailings still require a pre-cover test as of the recording of this video that our cruises from the U.S and Caribbean that visit Columbia transatlanta cruises and cruises from Australia but Protocols are always changing so it's a good idea to keep up to date with any potential precessor requirements for your sailing number 10 do apply or renew your passport as soon as possible while passport processing times are not nearly as bad as they were a couple years ago it can still take several weeks to receive a new or renewed passport so I recommend that you apply for a passport or renew your passport with plenty of time to spare current processing times are six to nine weeks for new passports or three to five weeks if you choose the expedited option and four to five weeks for passport renewals these estimates do not include mailing times and of course it can change in any given time so do yourself a favor renew your passport early don't wait number 11 tell surprised by last minute policy changes while it's unlikely that Royal Caribbean will re-implement code specific policies such as social distancing and mass requirements it's still a possibility that anything and everything is on the table for those protocols so if a new variant or coven numbers raise alarm there's potential for coveted protocols that we saw in the last couple years to return on cruises in 2023. again I think it's unlikely to occur but you need to remain flexible in case any of the changes do end up happening number 12 do book refundable hotels and airfare just like the cruiser I talked about earlier I always recommend booking refundable rates on pre-crease purchases like airfare and hotel stays refundable rates only cost slightly more than the non-refundable options but they provide flexibility in case of any situations like canceling your cruise or changing the day and time of your flight number 13 don't fly to the cruise port the same day begins boy I could just say this the next 10 minutes and people will still be doing this but anyway one of the most rookie mistakes you can make while planning a Royal Caribbean cruise is to fly to your embarkation Port the same day your cruise begins in short don't do it weather and air travel is extremely unpredictable thunderstorms Staffing problems tight connections and hazardous winter conditions can easily cause you to miss a flight you don't want to put your cruise vacation in Jeopardy because you booked the flight the same day of your cruise booking your flight the day before your cruise begins provides much more wiggle room in case any of these travel mishaps occur number 14 don't wait to book pre-crease purchases on the cruise planner in the past year rylke has raised prices on many of the cruise Line's most popular Cruise options from drink packages to specially restaurants and shore excursions expect higher prices in 2023 this is just the reality don't shoot the messenger the Cocoa Beach Club Perfect Day CoCo Key For example sold day passes for as little as 88 in 2022 but today on the other hand you might see prices closer to 200 per person yikes because of these price increases I really recommend booking pre-cruise add-ons as soon as possible this ensures you can lock in the lowest price possible plus if you see the price of a pre-cruise add-on has decreased you can easily cancel and rebook with no penalty number 15 don't overlook the new main dining room menu one of the most controversial changes coming to Royal cribbing in 2023 has been the revamp of the main dining room menu this new menu will feature a theme Cuisine each and every night and will stop offering the same classic dishes previously offered each evening naturally any change will remain announces is met with criticism from our lovely viewers and there seems to be a divide between Cruisers excited about the new menu versus those against the change in principle before criticizing the new menu though make sure you give it a try on your next Royal Caribbean cruise several new dishes such as the spaghetti or the Chipotle lime crusted Salmon may end up being your new go-to items number 16 don't be surprised by Royal Caribbean policy changes speaking of the main dining room menu don't be surprised if Royal Caribbean announces more changes this year any current offerings and policies are always subject to change in 2022 for example we saw a lot of different policy changes including Diamond Plus no longer allowed in the concierge Club daily drink vouchers changed from resetting at midnight to resetting at 5am and a la carte restaurants only being visited once per day within limited dining package looking back at the changes in 2022 it's possible that additional policies could change be added or removed in 2023. number 17 do consider packing for a cruise in a carry-on now I'm going to say this but full disclosure I probably won't do it myself however lost luggage is one of the worst mishaps that happened on route to a real creeping crew so if you're sailing on a short Cruise or you're a light packer well then consider bringing a carry-on bag to your cruise instead of checking in large suitcases at the airport you can fit a surprising number of clothes in carry-on suitcases and you can always do laundry halfway through your cruise if you run out of clean clothes plus best of all you won't have to worry about your luggage going missing while traveling to the cruise port number 18 do you expect higher prices than last year again don't shoot the messenger here but following the restart of the cruise industry in 2021 Cruise fares were lower due to less demand which continued into 2022 but in 2023 don't expect that Trend to continue because Cruise fair prices are definitely on their way up luckily there are still many ways to cruise on a budget including staying a lower category cabin sticking to complimentary dining options and a exploring on your own import versus booking Excursion number 19 do look for last minute cruise deals along those lines let's talk about ways to get a great deal with very few weeks to go to until your cruise while Cruise fares are higher than last year you'll still have the chance to find fantastic last minute cruise deals last minute deals can be found year round but are most commonly during non-peak times of the year less busy months for cruises like January September and October definitely see less demand and that results in the possibility for last minute deals number 20 on our list of do's and don'ts for your Royal Caribbean 2023 cruise is don't expect less crowded ships a year ago cruises were still operating at limited capacity and it was an uncommon and feel as if you had the entire ship to yourself but nowadays this is not the case and you can expect Royal Caribbean chips to be operating at near or even above 100 capacity throughout 2023. number 21 don't overlook Royal Caribbean's older ships if you're planning a cruise in 2023 but aren't sure would ship to pick don't overlook the older ships in the fleet older ships while not as big and modern as the newer ships obviously offer their own set of benefits whether cheaper Cruise fares more unique itineraries or a relaxed atmosphere on board there are many reasons to book a cruise on Royal creme's older ships number 22 do expect ships in New Ports several Royal Caribbean ships have been deployed to new home ports in 2023 whereas others will be cruising to new destinations for the very first time as an example Harmony of the Seas will be home poured into Miami for the first time and Brilliance of the Seas will offer cruises to Alaska likewise wonder of the Seas will offer Caribbean cruises throughout the summer a first for the ship she spent her inaugural season in Europe during the summer time in 2022. number 23 understand the new a la carte dining change I alluded to this earlier but let's talk about this change because Royal Caribbean added a daily limit to The Limited dining package at a la carte restaurants and this is something to be aware of if you're going on a cruise in 2023 for restaurants with a la carte pricing each guest with unlimited dining package will receive a 20 food credit which can only be used once per day per restaurant this means you can't dine at Playmakers for lunch and dinner on the same day and have both meals be covered with your dining package you can however dine at two separate a la carte restaurants on the same day like Playmakers for lunch and Portside barbecue for for dinner and have both of these included with your dining package so there you have it 23 do's and don'ts for your welcoming Cruise in 2023 again I hope this helps set the right expectations for a cruise that you've got this year let me know in the comments below what is your best advice for anybody going on a cruise in 2023 can't wait to read those down there below and while you're below our video please hit that like button it really helps us out with the YouTube algorithm subscribe to our Channel and turn on notifications that way YouTube lets you know with a brand new video to share this has been Matt from realcomingblog.com and we'll talk again real soon

Channel: Royal Caribbean Blog

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Keywords: cruise tips for first timers, cruise tips and tricks, cruise tips, tips for first time cruisers, first time cruise tips, first time cruisers, cruise secrets, cruising tips, first cruise tips, cruise advice, cruise ship tips and tricks, cruise tricks and tips, caribbean cruise tips, cruise tips for beginners, cruise, royal caribbean 2023 tips, 2023, rccl tips, rccl tips 2023

Id: OnYNR4Syj_k

Length: 14min 35sec (875 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 17 2023