People

Who Can Cruise?

From mild to wild, there are activities for every explorer. Our Adventure Ocean® Youth Program is great for kids.
There are tons of entertainment options, shopping, and gambling for adults. And state-of-the-art fitness facilities, with classes like kick boxing and yoga, full-service spas and a huge variety of dining venues to suit every taste.

With everything that we offer, it's no wonder many of our guests return to cruise with us year after year - and even hold their family reunions on our ships.
We would not recommend those guests to cruise who:

• May have a contagious disease that may be transmissible to other guest during the cruise
• May be seriously ill
• Intend to sell or advertise products or services onboard
• Intend to engage in demonstrations, protests onboard
• On a previous cruise with the Cruise Line, or its parent, subsidiaries or affiliates, committed a violation of a Guest Behaviour policy that resulted in the early removal of the guest, the denial of boarding for the guest, or other disciplinary measures.
• Will have entered their 24th week of pregnancy by the beginning of, or at any time during the cruise or cruisetour or are experiencing a high-risk pregnancy

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Cruising and Children

A cruise is a great place to go on with children of all ages - from 6 months onwards!  We have a host of entertainment options and activities for them, including educated and qualified staff to take care of them, if you decide to explore other parts of the ship on your own as adults would.

From swimming pools, to adventure zones, to pizza and ice cream bars, kids will always have something exciting to let  them just be kids.

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Activities

What Happens on a Cruise?
Everyone’s an explorer at heart, and a cruise vacation is a great way to see the world and explore some of the most amazing places on earth, hassle-free. Your days at sea can be packed with activities from morning till night if you want.

In fact, every day onboard you're given our daily onboard schedule that outlines all the cruise activities that you can do that day and night. It helps you plan your time and also makes sure you don't miss out on anything.

And when you arrive in each port, there are dozens and dozens of activities and Shore & Land Excursions for you to take advantage of, if you truly want to experience the destination.

Hey, after all, it's your vacation; you choose to spend it however you like.

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Luggage

What to Carry On a Cruise?

When you come aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, almost every need of yours is taken care of from food, to accommodation, to entertainment, and recreation.

While there is a pharmacy on board, it is necessary you carry any special medication you may need or be under during the cruise.

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What Not To Carry On a Cruise?

Aside from the obvious (and illegal) items not allowed onboard, there are other items we cannot accommodate onboard.  These items will be confiscated upon being found.

Prohibited items:

• Candles
• Coffee Makers
• Electrical Transformers (not including personal electronics: cell phone chargers, laptop power adapters etc.)
• Flammable Liquids and Explosives (such as fireworks)
• HAM radio equipment
• Hockey sticks
• Illegal Drugs
• Irons/Clothes Steamers
• Personal Alcohol
• Skateboards
• Surfboards

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What to Wear?

You only need to carry the necessary clothes to wear - a combination of casual, formal, and for recreation - and ensure you have comfortable walking shoes.

While the dress code is easy and casual on a cruise, certain restaurants and night clubs require a dinner jacket and tie for gentlemen and formalwear for women.

You also need to pack according to the season and the places you are cruising to, and according to the shore trips you have planned.

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Spends

Cash Needed

While you are not required to spend any money aboard, you may need to carry some cash to pay for some extras as described below and above. You will need to carry some cash with you, if you plan to go shopping or go beyond the guided tours at various ports of call.

You may also need to carry some cash for miscellaneous expenses like tips (see guidelines below).

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What Is Included In The Cruise Fare?

When you're onboard one of our cruise ships, almost everything is taken care of - your accommodations, gourmet meals in our dining rooms and cafés, and snacks throughout the day. All activities including our amazing fitness center, entertainment and our award-winning Adventure Ocean® Youth Program are all paid for. Even 24-hour room service is included. So, if you're looking for an incredible value, look no further - this is the vacation for you!

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What Is Not Included In The Cruise Fare?

The cruise vacation price does not include items of a personal nature, such as shore excursions, beverages, dining in the speciality restaurants, laundry, telephone calls, photographs, medical services, casino chips, onboard shopping , or other items not specifically stated as included in the cruise cost etc. These items may be purchased separately.

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How to Pay For Onboard Purchases?

All of Royal Caribbean International ships operate on a "cashless" system, meaning your boarding card, (also known as your Sea Pass card); will be used as a charge card to make all onboard purchases. Normally to activate this SeaPass account, most guests provide a credit card, (American Express, Optima, MasterCard, Visa, Discover and Diner's Club), to have these purchases charged to at the end of their cruise. Additionally, the SeaPass system may be activated with traveler's checks, debit cards or cash.

A running tab of all your purchases will be kept under separate folio numbers for each guest and an itemized statement left in your stateroom the night before disembarkation. If you provided a credit card and there are no discrepancies, the amount will be charged to your account on the morning of disembarkation. If you have used traveler's checks or cash to activate the account, you will need to settle the account at the Guest Relations desk, (to either receive a reimbursement of the unused amount you originally left or to pay the balance of what you have charged over the amount of what you originally left).

Please note:
We require guests to place a deposit if they are paying for their SeaPass account with cash. There is a $500 daily limit on cash accounts for 7+ night sailings and $300 for 2/3/4/5 night sailings. Once the daily cash limit is reached, we will call the guest and inform the guest that the limit has been reached.

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Other

Top 10 Cruise Insider Tips

We've talked to our guests and they've helped us compile an invaluable list of helpful tips for first-time cruisers. Who knows? After your cruise you may have something to add.

1. Online Check-In helps you speed up the boarding process by completing the Online Check-In process and formalities online, immediately after you have reserved your cruise. This saves you a lot of time and effort at the port, prior to departure.

2. Our Shore & Land Excursions are fun, full of adventure and very popular, so they book up fast. You have 3 options: reserve them online (up to 10 days before departure), reserve them onboard the first day at the Explorations Desk or on your TV in your stateroom using your remote control. Reserve early so you won't miss out on any of the fun.

3. For the first day of your cruise, pack a small carry-on bag with your travel documents, a change of clothes, bathing suit, maybe workout clothes, and any medications you may need. This will allow you to begin enjoying your vacation immediately, because you won't have to wait for your bags to arrive at your stateroom.

4. If the spa is your thing, try to make your appointments on the first day, as the most popular treatments and times fill up fast.

5. If you want to grab a bite to eat when you first get onboard, head up to the Windjammer Café; they'll be serving.

6. Every ship has two seatings for dinner in the main dining room at 6:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. When you book your cruise you can select what time works best for you and we'll assign you a table. Also, some of our ships have specialty restaurants (i.e., Italian, steak, etc.) we highly recommend you try. (A nominal fee applies).

7. To make your cruise even more enjoyable, we offer fountain soda packages that entitle you to unlimited fountain sodas at our bars and lounges. It's a great idea for families!

8. What's the SeaPass? For your convenience, our ships use the SeaPass signing system. This system allows you to charge all onboard purchases by presenting the Cruise Card that is issued to you upon boarding. On the last morning of your cruise vacation, an itemized statement will be delivered to your stateroom for verification. Your SeaPass charges will be billed automatically to the credit card you selected upon check-in.

9. Getting on and off the ship - Depending on the port, there are two ways to get on and off the ship. In some ports, we dock right in the port so you can get on and off whenever you want via the gangplank. And in other ports, we use tenders (small ferry-like boats) that will take you to the port; tenders run frequently between the ship and the port. But remember to ALWAYS bring your SeaPass with you, as you will need it to get off and get back on the ship.

10. Tipping So that you can thank those who have made your cruise vacation better than you could have imagined, we've developed these gratuity guidelines:
- Suite attendant: $5.75 USD a day per guest
- Stateroom attendant: $3.50 USD a day per guest
- Dining Room Waiter: $3.50 USD a day per guest
- Assistant Waiter: $2.00 USD a day per guest
- Headwaiter: $.75 USD a day per guest
- Note: These gratuities apply to guests of all ages.
- Gratuities for other service personnel are at your discretion.
- A 15% gratuity will automatically be added to your bar bill or wine check when you are served.

Envelopes for gratuities will be provided in your stateroom on the last night of the cruise. Gratuities may be paid in the following ways:
- Pre paid by having them added to your reservation by your reservation agent.
- Added to your onboard SeaPass account.
- Paid in cash at the end of the cruise

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Glossary Of Terms Around Your Cruise Ship

Berth: A fancy word for where the ship parks
Bow/Stern: Front and rear of the ship, respectively
Gangway: The passageway where you board
Stateroom: Your room onboard - just like your favourite hotel room, but floating
Tender: A small vessel that transports people from ship to shore
Ship: A large, seaworthy. Just kidding. You already knew that one
embark: To get on the ship. Getting off is called disembarking
Excursion: Activities, tours or entertainment offered in each port
Knot: A unit of speed that equals one nautical mile an hour
Mustering: The safety drill conducted before every cruise
Ports: The cities, towns and islands the ship (and you) will be visiting
Cruise tour: A combination cruise vacation and land tour

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