16 Insider Tips For Your Next Cruise #SeasTheDay

I’ve been back from my Royal Caribbean cruise (and extra night in Ft. Lauderdale, FL) for a little over 36 hours. I’ve been busily (and anxiously) sorting through my photos while trying to spend some much needed time with my family. However, I started writing down things I learned while on the cruise as I was on it, so I thought I would share some insider tips with you while you wait for my photos. Please note that my cruise was part of a collaboration with Royal Caribbean, and though they sponsored it, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my second cruise with Royal Caribbean so I thought I knew everything there was to know about them and cruising. Boy was I wrong! I learned so much more on this cruise, both on my own and from the other 39 bloggers I was with.

Here are 16 insider tips for cruising (especially with Royal Caribbean):

Bonine works much better than Dramamine for sea sickness.

My first cruise I got sea sick the first night. I took Bonine once a day and was fine every other night. This time I knew I was going to get sea sick so I bought Dramamine thinking it would be ok. Nope. I did NOT work as well at all. Back to Bonine for my next cruise!

Bring a watch.

Don’t rely on your cell phone to tell you the correct time. My cell phone got all messed up changing time zones and it ran on London time (I think). My phone was anywhere from 4-5 hours off of ship time.

Spray on sunscreen doesn’t work in the Caribbean sun.

Spray on sunscreen might be fine for weak Minnesota sun but I got burnt in Cozumel despite applying spray sunscreen multiple times. I did not, however, get burnt where I put lotion on. Coincidence? I think not.

Glass steps and dresses are not a good combo.

I don’t remember any glass steps on the Majesty of The Seas ship. If there were, I didn’t pay much attention to them. Liberty of The Seas, however, has very clear glass steps in their spa area. I was sitting under them and happened to look up just as a girl in a dress was coming down them. Let’s just say I saw way more of her than I wanted!

Peppermint oil helps with nausea.

A few of my fellow bloggers on the ship are into essential oils. When they heard I was sea sick and my Dramamine wasn’t working they brought me peppermint oil. I put a dab on both my temples and behind my neck. It definitely helped!

There are not many plug-ins in the rooms.

It was fine for my first cruise because I didn’t bring many electronics with me. However, this cruise both my roommate and I had our computers, our phones, our curling irons… In other words, it you are a “plugged-in” family, you may need more outlets.

Balcony suites are the best!

My first cruise I stayed in a room with a window. It was great because I could see if it was day or night outside. This time I was fortunate enough to stay in a balcony suite. I may never go back! It was so great to open up the balcony and listen to the ocean at night. It was also beautiful to order room service for breakfast and eat it on the peaceful balcony.

Turn on the TV in inside state rooms.

Not fortunate enough to stay in a room with a window or balcony? That’s ok. There is a channel on your TV that is linked to a camera on the front of the boat. Turn it on before bed so if you wake up in the middle of the night you can tell if it’s still night or day outside. You may also catch a sunrise or sunset.

Lanyards are great to carry room keys.

My first cruise I had to keep giving my room key to my husband to carry because I never had pockets. This cruise we kept our keys in lanyards and it was perfect! I saw many other people on the ship with lanyards too.

Royal Caribbean cleans a lot!

I never noticed that until someone pointed it out but once I saw it, I spotted it everywhere. There is constantly someone cleaning side rails, door handles, vacuuming…plus, there is hand sanitizer all over the ship. They get mad at you if you do not use it before walking into the dining rooms.

WiFi is better than expected.

I didn’t have WiFi on my first cruise because I didn’t need it. When I heard we were getting complimentary WiFi this time I was expecting it to be in-and-out at best. Nope, the WiFi was just like being at home. I had no issues what so ever. It was just a hair slow on my computer but worked perfectly on my phone.

Above was things I learned on this cruise. Now I’ll share some things I already knew that were confirmed on this cruise:

Bring comfortable shoes.

The ship is long and often you have to walk from one end to another. Plus, it’s usually easier/faster to take the stairs than the elevator.

There is such thing as land sickness.

Think you got away with not getting sick because you didn’t get sea sick? Wait till you get back on land. That’s when your fun might start. Last cruise my husband was fine on the ship but got sick on land. The same happened with a few girls this cruise. Supposedly eating an apple when you get off the ship helps but no one confirmed that for me.

Royal Caribbean has great stuff for kids.

My friends who cruise with Royal Caribbean frequently said that their kids activities are great but I didn’t pay much attention because we didn’t bring our kids on the first cruise. Though I didn’t bring my girls on this cruise either, I did get a tour of the kids areas and they were awesome!

I prefer the early dinner seating.

Though the late dinner seating on this cruise wasn’t horrible, I felt like I could do more in the evenings on my last cruise when I did the early dinner seating.

Royal Caribbean has great adult entertainment.

I was really looking forward to seeing The Love and Marriage Game Show and The Quest Game Show again this cruise. They are adult-only, late-night game shows that are hysterical! I missed The Love and Marriage Game Show due to sea sickness but The Quest, once again, did not disappoint.

Looking for more advice about your next cruise? Click on the graphics below: