After spending per week on Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, I had a fantastic household spring break trip, and I do know I drastically benefitted from some pre-cruise planning.
After years of cruising, it is turn out to be obvious to me how necessary just a bit planning forward of time can do to enhance your trip expertise.
While you may merely present as much as the cruise ship and have a very good time with none forethought, planning out just a few points of your trip provides so much to the expertise and avoids some widespread cruise pitfalls.
On a ship as massive as Wonder of the Seas, you are additionally competing in a manner along with your fellow visitors for alternatives and issues to do onboard. From eating, to leisure, to ready, there is a restrict on how a lot you are able to do onboard and I firmly imagine your time on a cruise ship may be optimized.
In retrospect, listed below are 5 tremendous easy issues I did earlier than my cruise started to get rid of hassles earlier than they might ever happen.
1. I did all the things within the pre-cruise check-in
When you step foot into the cruise terminal, your cruise trip begins and ideally, your time within the terminal is as fast as potential so you may get onto the ship.
Royal Caribbean has made it tremendous easy to breeze via the check-in course of by making your complete course of digital by way of the Royal Caribbean app.
First and foremost, at 45 days earlier than my cruise, I grabbed an early check-in time to make sure we may doubtless get onboard first. It’s a good suggestion to set a calendar reminder to get a time straight away, as a result of lots of people can be vying for these early instances.
Next, full each step of the check-in course of earlier than the cruise.
- Scan your passport
- Take a selfie picture
- Add your emergency contact data
- Add a bank card
If you do not do these items at house, you are going to do it on the terminal with the agent. It feels just like the brokers typically wrestle with their tablets working accurately, and it simply wastes time.
Because we did all the things at house, each terminal consultant we encountered merely needed to look over our paperwork, confirm it was all there, and despatched us on our manner.
Your trip time is treasured, so do not waste it within the cruise terminal.
2. Booked my exhibits early
If you are crusing on an Oasis or Quantum Class ship, you may pre-book exhibits and you really want to do that as quickly because it turns into out there.
While you may in all probability nonetheless get into the exhibits with no reservation, having a reservation actually makes your complete expertise a lot easier.
At round 30 days earlier than your cruise, the exhibits will turn out to be out there to guide and it is complimentary to guide exhibits.
It’s fairly clear sufficient folks have gotten the memo about reserving exhibits that instances go shortly, so you will wish to guide it straight away. Put a calendar reminder for this time too.
By having the present reservations, there was no concern as soon as onboard if we might be capable to see a selected present time or having to waste time standing in a standby line.
3. I took a experience share to the port as an alternative of parking
This tip was not a part of my unique plan, however I used to be actually glad to have taken a Lyft experience to the port as an alternative of driving myself.
The day earlier than the cruise, we found a nail within the tire of our household automobile and there wasn’t sufficient time to get it patched earlier than we left the following morning for the cruise. As a consequence, I made a decision to make use of Lyft as an alternative.
We dwell about an hour from Port Canaveral, so driving to the port so we have nearly all the time pushed ourselves previously.
The purpose why I’m together with getting a experience to the port on this record is as a result of the parking state of affairs in Port Canaveral (and different Florida ports) has turn out to be rather more of an issue than previously. In quick, the parking heaps on the port appear to be fuller than ever earlier than.
Wonder of the Seas departs from Terminal 1, and the principle storage was already fairly busy after we acquired there. There are extra ships and larger ships crusing than previously, and the overflow heaps at the moment are the norm as an alternative of the exception.
By taking Lyft, we pulled proper as much as the terminal, dropped our baggage with the porters and we walked proper into the terminal. It was a breath of recent air in comparison with having to attend within the visitors to get again into the terminal and discover a spot.
If this seems like a “first world downside”, it undoubtedly is, however we noticed the backup to get into Terminal 1 solely worsen because the day wore on.
4. I did conventional eating as an alternative of My Time Dining
While 5pm is sooner than I wish to have dinner, the convenience of which it’s to have a hard and fast desk and time appears to drastically outweigh the downsides to My Time Dining.
My Time Dining is nice since you may eat at totally different instances throughout your cruise. This is tremendous useful when you will have a later day in port, however there’s additionally extra ready and it all the time appears the folks ready to get in for My Time Dining look irritated.
To be honest, our household has all the time achieved conventional eating after we eat within the Main Dining Room, however since this text is about methods to be stress-free, there is no doubt having a set time day-after-day with no ready is the definition of that.
When it was our meal time, we walked proper into the Main Dining Room and sat at our desk. We had menus in hand and a drink order being taken shortly thereafter.
I’m not advocating nobody ought to do My Time Dining, slightly, I feel conventional is simply simpler.
Read extra: My Time Dining versus Traditional Dining
5. Pre-booked my shore excursions
It seems like ready to determine your plans on shore the day you get to the port is turning into a brand new mistake.
Royal Caribbean’s shore excursions appear to be promoting out a lot sooner than in years previous, and when you strive winging it with a vendor in port, there’s simply an excessive amount of ambiguity as to what the expertise may find yourself being.
The difficulty is exacerbated in Perfect Day at CocoCay as a result of Royal Caribbean’s advertising and marketing machine has been so efficient in getting the phrase out. The result’s all the things aside from a floating mat is bought out months earlier than the cruise begins.
Prior to the cruise, we made reservations for shore excursions in St. Thomas and St. Kitts and we not solely liked each of our excursions, however I used to be glad to not must take care of making an attempt to navigate a last-minute tour resolution.
Whether you guide a tour via Royal Caribbean or by yourself, it is a good suggestion to plan it out nicely earlier than the cruise begins and to have a plan in place so as to be assured you will it is all ready for you while you arrive.
More data:
6. I took naps
This is such a small factor, however taking a nap actually makes your day appear extra care-free.
We had three sea days on this crusing, and I discovered myself taking a nap day-after-day of them proper after lunch. While there’s certainly a lot to see and do on Wonder of the Seas, I relished a refreshing doze in my cabin.
It definitely helped with any FOMO that I had been on Wonder of the Seas just a few instances already, but when your objective is have a straightforward going time of issues, I actually assume a very good nap helps so much.
Plus, taking a nap meant I had extra vitality for night actions. Especially late-night enjoyable within the on line casino or bars across the ship.
Sometimes it is the little issues that may put your self comfortable throughout your journey.