8 Things I learned on my first Royal Caribbean cruise

Jenna took her first Royal Caribbean cruise ever, and has 8 things she learned!

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[janetpreece]

Came off our 1st Royal Carribean Cruise yesterday- Anthem of the Seas was amazing . Love a balcony, especially early morning /late at night opening doors and listen to the Sea

[raymullen]

That's the best part of Cruising trying different
Foods that You can't get at Home....We always
get a Balcony for nothing else other that Coffee
in the am and Cocktails after the day is done..
But that's just Us..

[angelaleon]

Going on our first cruise in April! Hopefully we are allowed to go! I'm so excited!!

[laurahenshaw]

Thanks for sharing your first cruise experience, Jenna! As a seasoned cruiser, I disagree with a couple points, like the balcony (we spend lots of time on ours when we have one), but you're absolutely right on most everything else. And thanks for all the editing you do for Matt!! 👍🏻👍🏻

[carlk]

I agree with most of your points except the balcony. It’s great for morning coffee, afternoon drinks, sunrise, sunsets and when in ports.

[frostfire]

About specialty dining. Ask if you can get a listing of the whole cruises menus for every day at the start of your cruise. That way you know what is being served when. If you can't get that they usually post the menus for the day in front of the restaurants. That way you can decide, oh, on Thursday night there's nothing that strikes my fancy for dinner, lets book a specialty dinner for that night. That way you can maximize your value and not miss out on anything you'd really want to have/try in the free main dining room restaurants.

[kevwwong]

I think the percentage of time spent on the balcony is directly proportional to the number of sea days you have. I don't think you'll spend an entire day there, but it's a quiet spot where you can have a cold drink and enjoy the sea breeze in between whatever activities you've planned.

[michelealkins]

Jenna- I also read your blog and really appreciate the tip about the shampoo/conditioner/soap!! I’ve traveled a lot on land and my 1st cruise was Norwegian Haven so I was SHOCKED on my 2nd cruise on Carnival Mardi Gras last month when they had no conditioner and the shampoo was awful. I had to stop and get some at a port. Going on Oasis in December and I didn’t know whether to bring my own products. I will!

[Browniegryl]

I'm sure my next cruise will seem like the 1st! We cruised for our 1st anniversary...back in 1995. I'm really, REALLY ready to go back!

[yusselfaveljl]

Great comments. Very informative. Thank you.

[ashleyreed]

Going on my first cruise in 2 weeks. We booked a balcony just in case we get stuck on the ship from an outbreak. I feel like an inside cabin would be miserable. But because it's my first trip I'll probably explore more of the ship and not spend a lot of time in the cabin like those who have been on the ship before.

[BillMattson]

I would add the following two items: Although you know the ship is big from research it is always bigger than you thought. And as big as the ships are, when on board that don’t feel overwhelming huge.

[sbeiring]

Will love to hear Jenna’s comments following a second cruise if any of her thoughts change to help those of us who are not newbies but not veterans like you Matt.

[FincaBelleVue]

I love 4-6 sea days. That is the reason we book transatlantic or 10+ day cruises. Even on long cruises we prefer interior rooms. We like the ultra dark quiet rooms in the middle center of the ship. Once we got upgraded to a balcony and we said No, thank you. To each our own.😎

[colleenmann]

The ship is no more. 😅 I don't remember the name. The cruise was wonderful. When we went to Coco Cay the island wasn't developed. There was a small shack with food. We had lounge chairs on the beach and they brought us non stop Coco Locos. My husband went snorkeling. 😊

[mercyrodriguez]

We love Sea Days, we usually go for the Ship, not the Ports. Sorry, we love our balcony! We don’t drink much, so no drink package, we get free drinks, which is enough for us!

[jacquelyns]

I haven't experienced specialty dining yet. It didn't exist when I first did cruises. Then there was a long period where I didn't cruise. I was doing long distance driving tours instead. My first ocean cruise in 2018/2019, my sister and I checked out Main Dining Room, big buffet, specialty food stands.
My next cruise I will look closely at specialty dining. Since they are usually a higher end experience I will look mostly at cost.
How much will it cost on the ship versus what it would cost where I live. If there's only a few dollars difference then I will eat in the free venues. If it's $20, $30, $40 different then I may try the specialty restaurant. I am fortunate in having access to many international food venues with inexpensive to moderate prices at home. I would be more inclined to eat at a steak or Japanese restaurant than some other cuisines.
Another factor I will take into account is the Home Port of the ship. Next cruise I'm booked on is leaving from New Orleans. I will have 3 full touring days before ship departs. And New Orleans is known for its food!

[stevelewis]

We like the non alcoholic drink package. Usually can get it for 18/20$ a day. Mock tales special coffees water . Next cruise will put us in diamond . Will take advantage of the complimentary alcohol drinks but still get our usual beverage package

[KDizzle]

Captain Jack's Bar is my spot at Coco Cay.

[gaiadove]

Bring your own shampoo, conditioner, and nice toilet paper. Didn’t regret getting the drink package. Ended up drinking like 5-6 fruity drinks a day, wine at dinner, coffee from the cafe and soda throughout the day. It made life easier. It’s amazing how many Blue Hawaiians and Miami Vices one can drink in a day.