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As the starting point for the Soda Package is just over $15 per person per day with the gratuity, you'll need to count on drinking a minimum of four sodas a day for it to be a good value. Royal Caribbean's Water Packages are available in 12- and 24-packs of one-liter bottles of Evian water. When your Royal Caribbean cruise begins in San Juan, you will sail out of the Pan American cruise terminal, which is across the bay from Old San Juan. Royal Caribbean's home port in Texas is in the coastal island of Galveston, where Royal Caribbean is transitioning to a new cruise terminal in November 2022. Plus, the lounge offers a quieter atmosphere than other bars onboard and–given its top deck location–has excellent views of the ocean. One of my biggest regrets from my suite experience is that I didn’t spend nearly enough time in the Suite Lounge, especially during the evenings.
Top Cruise Dining on Symphony of the Seas
If you are unhappy with the service you receive, you can adjust this amount at the Guest Services desk before disembarking. An 18% gratuity is added to bills for bars, minibars, salons and spas. One of Royal Caribbean's great strengths is its theater entertainment, which can be mind-blowing at times — i.e., you won't believe you're seeing what you're seeing on a cruise ship. In addition, some ships feature private restaurants just for passengers staying in suites along with top-tier members of the line's Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program.
The Best Cruise Restaurants Onboard Odyssey of the Seas Royal Caribbean Cruises
Becoming a member can earn discounts or qualify for upgrades or other perks that make your next cruise more enjoyable. Booking shore excursions can be a great way to participate in local experiences at each port of call. A luxury, all-inclusive cruise will cost significantly more, while a no-frills Caribbean cruise can be cheaper. Before booking, find out what considerations you should make to determine the cost of a Caribbean cruise.
Restaurants and dining
The drinking age on sailings from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand is 18. On Oasis Class ships, there's also an outdoor Boardwalk area with a hand-carved carousel. On the new Icon Class ships, the Boardwalk area is replaced with a watery play zone for younger kids called Surfside. You'll also find all sorts of other fun-focused attractions — giant rock climbing walls, surfing simulators, zip lines, miniature golf courses and basketball courts, to name a few.
There's no denying that cruise ship spas are expensive, with a 50-minute Swedish Massage costing upwards of $150. Of course, there are ways for you to check in on everyone at home without paying $20 per day, such as only connecting while in port at local restaurants or coffee shops. For most, however, it's not feasible to be completely out of touch with the world.
Take better advantage of the Suite Lounge
Royal Caribbean executives like to say that if they carved out all the suites on their ships as a separate business, it would be the largest luxury cruise line in the world. Royal Caribbean's designers are masters at designing vessels that can carry thousands and thousands of people but still feel relatively uncrowded — at least in some areas. In recent years, Royal Caribbean has deployed one or more ships to China for sailings aimed at the Chinese market. One of the line's newest ships, Spectrum of the Seas, has offered trips for Chinese travelers out of Shanghai and Tianjin, China (the port for Beijing). Before purchasing any drink package, be sure to do your homework and do the math of how much you have to drink, every day of your cruise for it to make sense. The only places you cannot use your drink package are with room service, minibar or Starbucks.
Before booking a shore excursion through an outside company, though, be sure to review the pros and cons of not booking through the cruise line. Before you try to save money by flying in the same day of your cruise, don't. This is a major mistake and could put your entire vacation in jeopardy. To help anyone budget for their cruise, let’s break down what to expect in terms of overall costs. Keep in mind that cruises are global, and we cannot possibly account for every scenario, budget, and cost. Royal Caribbean adds an automatic service gratuity of $18 to $20.50 per person per day to final bills, depending on your cabin category.
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As of December 2023, most zero-proof cocktails are $7.00, with specialty coffees at Cafe Promenade and Cafe Latte-tude ranging from $4.00-$5.50. If you want anything else, such as specialty coffees, sodas, or mocktails, you'll have to either pay for each drink individually or splurge on a Royal Caribbean drink package. Please note that infants and children are subject to normal guest pricing. If this article has taught you anything about the price of a cruise, it’s that a cruise fare can vary considerably. You’ll almost certainly be able to find a cruise to fit your vacation budget, whether you book a cheap interior room or lavish suite. Outside of complimentary dining venues on any Royal Caribbean ship are specialty restaurants.
You will see a "service charge" that comes with the drink package purchase, which includes the automatic 18% gratuity. All Royal Caribbean cruise fares include most meals and snacks onboard your ship and at any private destination you visit (such as Labadee or CocoCay). This means there will be ample opportunity to enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks without additional cost. You’ll also find a range of options for kids that include non-alcoholic beverages.
If you drink soda, the difference in price between the Soda Package and the Refreshment Package is $16. Almost any combination of two other drinks — lattes, mocktails, smoothies or bottled water — makes the Refreshment Package a deal for you. If you can live without the extras, stick with the soda-only package.
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However, a cruise vacation still offers a fantastic vacation value considering all that is included in your cruise fare. Considering all that’s included in your 274-night Ultimate World Cruise fare, you’ll enjoy an incredible value. Savings - You can save money with a drink package (versus paying for each drink a la carte), but you have to be a certain kind of drinker and not waste the daily package benefits. If you are someone that enjoys having many drinks every day, it can definitely save you money with a Royal Caribbean drink package. This requires anyone that buys the package to be willing and able to enjoy a good half-dozen drinks every day of their cruise.
By the time I got back onboard after a port day, I quickly showered, changed, and headed to dinner. This left very little time to relax in our suite and take full advantage of Royal Caribbean’s fantastic suite benefits. We were cruising with a large group, so we enjoyed dinner in the dining room each evening. If we were cruising by ourselves, though, I would have ordered dinner directly to the suite for a more intimate dining experience. Suite guests on Liberty of the Seas can order food from the Main Dining Room menu during the restaurant’s operating hours. You can order breakfast, lunch, and dinner from the Main Dining Room and have the meals delivered directly to your cabin.
That makes them particularly appealing to families, including multigenerational groups. With each step-down in size, you'll find fewer restaurants, bars, entertainment offerings and attractions. However, even the smallest of Royal Caribbean ships still have quite a bit to offer. The smaller ships also appeal to a subset of Royal Caribbean fans who like a little more intimacy in a cruise vessel and don't mind giving up some onboard amenities to get it. These ships are also often less expensive for travelers on a per-day basis.
Spending $3000 on one 3-night cruise in a suite is not nearly as appealing as spending the same amount of money for three separate sailings. Having a suite enhances your cruise experience in a way you can’t achieve in a lower category cabin. Even if you buy a dining package, book the most sought after shore excursions, and reserve a spa treatment, it won’t come close to the level of luxury you’ll find in a suite. RipCord by iFLY, the skydiving simulator found on Quantum Class ships, has both complimentary and extra cost options available. Complimentary time slots often get reserved quickly, so it’s important to reserve a time slot in the Royal Caribbean app as soon as you get onboard the ship.
Quantum Class ships have Two70, an extraordinary, high-tech theater space that offers multisensory shows combining singing, dancing and acrobatics. Some of the extra-charge eateries come with a flat fee, usually around $35 to $50 per person, not including the cost of drinks. In addition, every ship has a least one — and sometimes many — extra-charge eateries. The most common one found across the fleet is Chops Grille, the line's signature steakhouse.
