Took the words out of my mouth. I live in Jacksonville Florida so I get to choose whatever port I want to go to. The no flying aspect is basically 90% of the reason why I like to cruise. Now if I lived in the Midwest or some thing then I probably would not do any cruising lolol.

@@itr0863 I'm currently in New York (moving to Maryland next summer) so I'm at the mercy of what is offered at Cape Liberty. You're lucky to have so many options within reasonable driving distance!

I’m flying to my cruise this year - I live in Southern California and I’ve sailed to Catalina & Mexico enough times to be bored of them by now 😂 waiting for good deals for flights

Flying adds so much more stress and expense. If you can cruise from a port within an easy drive from home, you save a lot of money.

@@gmkarliah6528 I know. I always think about people that live more north that want to go on cruises and I totally understand and sympathize when you guys come down. It’s just a lot of money to fly! What ports are available along the East Coast besides Florida? I assume New York and Baltimore how are those ports compared to you guys coming down to Florida! I understand gas is expensive and I really don’t like driving long distances but the price of flights it’s almost like you’re better off just driving down with your family!

I agree, once you go balcony you can NEVER go back!!!

Lol. My dad used to say “Nothing is more expensive than free!”

Totally TMI on the last part of your comment.

@@marksmith5696 Nothing she said was TMI, if your mind goes straight to the gutter than thats on you

Nobody's mind is in the gutter here, so.....yeah, I guess you shouldn't assume and perhaps check your own mindset for clarity? I'm allowed to have my opinion on the comment, thank you for commenting as well.

@@madisonharrill1935 Please seek some therapy. Ty in advance.

@@marksmith5696 therapy 🤣 thanks I’ll consider

Thank you!

It really does depend on how you sail and when. Cruising will always be cheaper than any other vacation for us because we live in central Florida and can cruise in the off season. Our best deal ever was a 9-night ABC islands cruise the week after thanksgiving. When you are a crazy person like me with four kids, there’s no comparison. But I do enjoy seeing how other people do the math. There are so many considerations. After the cost, the MOST important factor to me is whether I (as mom) can actually enjoy myself and relax. Cruising is one of the only ways I get to do that with little ones.

You’re also choosing to make your cruise overly expensive. Assuming your B2B consists of two 7 night sailings, you’re only spending $4000 per person or $2000 per week. You mentioned that everyone had drink packages and specialty dining packages. Again, that is artificially inflating the price of your cruise, and I don’t see the need to spend the money on stuff like that when I could eat the same thing back home for less.

I agree that cruising is a great value and that you can optimize your vacation if you desire to modify your experience. However, I feel that RCCL and some other cruiselines are desperately trying to nickel and dime their passengers and its showing. It is not coincidental that Royal surveyed its passengers about paying for pizza. While that subject is mute for now, I know that their wheels are turning and somewhere in the future we will see another charge for something that used to be included in the dining experience. Unfortunately, RC is increasing the cost of cruising and they feel justified with the introduction of the Icon of the Seas. On my end I feel that large vessels lower their cost per passenger thus achieving economies of scale. The increase in size does little for the passengers due to diminishing returns. While we are being WOW’d by large ships, the reality is that most of that benefit goes to the cruiseline and not the passenger. Having 7,600 passengers on one sailing takes away from the experience and lowers the quality of the service as it has already in many of their food venues. I think with these changes in the industry it is best to look around and cruise with the cruiseline that best matches your needs. For example, like you I want to relax and enjoy a great meal so food is very important in my decision to travel. I don’t really care about Flow-Riders, rock climbing, parties, etc. I rather pay for comfort, elegance, quality service, good food, and personalized attention. Again, I do think that cruiselines provide good value but I think loyalty is out the window because the perks are not valuable enough anymore to help me choose the kind of vacation I want. Incidentally, RCCL just announced an increase in the automatic daily gratuity charge. Gratuities will increase from $16 to $18 per guest, per day for non-suite staterooms and from $18.50 to $20.50 per guest, per day for suites. In other words, this amounts to an additional $2/per day per person or a 12.5% increase for non-suite staterooms. This move comes about a year after the previous increase despite the cruise line increase in net income rise to $1 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

Really good tips!

Tip 1 sounds like you flew Southwest using points and Companion Pass. Segments are only $5.60 each to cover taxes. That’s how we fly for free also.

@@jackiebyers3424 Exactly! Love Southwest, though we don't have companion passes on there yet.

May I ask, what are Cruise Planner Sales, and how do you find them? Many thanks!

Just used the "Specialty restaurant for lunch" tip for our upcoming cruse in Dec. Got Izumi Hibachi for $29 for lunch instead of $53 for dinner. For a family of 5, not a bad saving & still expect a great experience! Can't wait!

I leave on Explorer January 2nd. It will be just my gf and I. Any adult recommendations or things that would be fun for a young couple? I want us to be comfortable on the ship we sail on.

P.s. ours is a 5-night with 0 excursions and extra dining/packages only $900 per person!

@jamesepicmamba Where are you going? There is an adults only pool and hot tube!

Agreed!

Amen to that!

Soda is a bar drink. Unless you are on a luxury cruise ship where the fare really is all inclusive, you have to pay for soda. There are a few exceptions to this. I think Disney has some free Soda but they have high prices. If you drink several sodas a day a soda package will save you money.

It’s easy to avoid soda on a cruise given the broad availability of iced tea, water, flavored waters in the Buffet, spa area, café promenade, etc. I have diamond status on royal Caribbean, which provides four free alcoholic drinks per day, which is more than enough for me. Thus, I don’t need to buy the expensive beverage package. I think the cruise lines have had to increase the cost of the alcohol packages since they include specialty coffees and so many people are drinking those these days. For me, I find that I am better to pay as I go, as I tend to drink less and consume fewer calories via beverages.

Las Vegas is right up there with New York. That’s not typical on land. Many cities have Broadway shows and great restaurants.

Agree, not sure how they came up with how cruising is cheaper. I like cruising but it has always been more expensive, not to mention how they nickle and dime you once in the ship.

The cruise includes comedy shows, piano and other music, a production or Broadway show, etc every single night. The biggest plus to me about a cruise is that the ship takes me to 4-5 different cities or countries and I sleep while they transport me. I don’t have to pack and unpack, switch hotels, get from city A to city B , etc. I don’t think your comparison to a cabin in the woods is apples-and-apples.

$6k sounds very expensive for a cruise for two for a week. You didn’t say where it was or on what ship (newer ships are more expensive). My husband and I cruise for about $3k in total (23 cruises so far). Our 15-night Panama Canal was far cheaper than your $6k. We always get an ocean view balcony.

Nice!

It's the best tip a family can take advantage of!

I had been shocked too. It was actually cheaper for us to get two rooms. Well, two rooms guaranteed was cheaper than one 4-person guarantee. Since we wanted connecting, selecting the rooms made it a little more expensive. The rooms that you get are a little smaller with max 2-person. But getting two more than makes up for it. I so love the rooms I selected I'd turn down an upgrade.

I heard that ship is terrible...

Great analysis!

@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog thank you! Plus I want EVERYONE to take note - and Matt has said this multiple times - BOOK EARLY - you can always cancel right up until final payment date if you change your mind or, if the price goes down, you can re-price all the way up to final payment. The earlier you book, the cheaper the price. I re-priced this cruise 4 times and as a result I saved over $850! As soon as you know you want to go - BOOK IT! Another tip - book REFUNDABLE deposit. Yes, it is more money, but well worth the minimal cost. I also pre-pay everything, including gratuities as I do not want that "surprise" on my bill at the end of the cruise. Last tip, and again Matt has said this so many time I have lost count - if you want any of the dining packages, or liquor packages or internet packages or any excursions, do NOT say to yourself "oh I will wait for a sale" - just book it when you know you want it that way you LOCK IN that price so that if price goes UP you won't pay more, and, if the price goes down later, you can ALWAYS cancel and rebook right up until 2 days before sailing. I have done this 6 times on this cruise alone and have saved a small fortune. This will be my 4th cruise ever (all with Royal) and I did this from my very first cruise

Thanks for watching!

What ship is your favorite so far

@@harveybirdman_23 They were all nice, but we really loved the Oasis and the Harmony, which is very similar. The Harmony promenade is somewhat curvy, so it has more of a neighborhood feel. We had balcony rooms overlooking Central Park in both cases, and really liked people watching. The Park Cafe is awesome with roast beef sandwiches and huge, made-to-order salads. Ate lunch there a couple of times. The Harmony has the robotic bar, which was cool to watch. Watched a movie on huge screens in the Aqua Theater while munching on hot dogs and nachos too 🙂

Totally agree. We are sailing x 1 week on Rhapsody of the Seas early March 2023 from Barbados and have already booked 4 excursions via Royal Caribbean Cruises. They were less expensive than independently run excursions and we won’t get stuck on land if there are delays, or problems occur 👍⚓️🛳️

We managed to get a holiday in lovely barbados for 2 weeks. Beachfront hotel and flights for 2300. Bit more expensive but the cruise cost over 3500 all in. Drinks package, gratuities and flights.

Thanks!

Hope you enjoyed it!

Lucky u. How much did u pay for that?

@@KS-qp2ml in my previous post, right beneath this update, I posted a complete breakdown of every expense and I put the grand total. it was $5577 total for 2 people

Our favorite room if we can’t get a suite.

There are still deals to be found, especially if you cruise off season

That's fairly accurate, and it's why cruising is such a good value. Any land vacation you take won't include those things.

I wish it were that easy. The unexcused absence policy in schools today is absurd.

We can’t do that in England if you take your child/children out of school in term time the parents have to pay a fine but a lot of parents would rather pay the fine because it’s cheaper to go on holiday in term time than go on holiday when the children have school holidays

Amen MLK day week in the Caribbean is our go to week for price.

It's slightly unfair to compare prices today vs during the pandemic when prices were clearly slashed to promote cash flow. Basically, prices in 2020-2021 were aberrations.

@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog You are correct. I actually meant prior to the pandemic. Example: prior to the pandemic a 7 day interior room in Aug would run under $600pp all day/every day. 10 years ago it was under $500pp. Looking at CCL right now and it's between $700-800 and NCL is over $800 - but at least they include the drink package. A family of 4 could sail for $2500 for a 7 day, now you can't find one under $3k and NCL is even trying to charge close to $6k....for an interior.

Thanks!

we booked seabourn for dec 27th, 11 day, 14000 plus air.........

Use a travel agent. The price you paid is way too high.

As someone that always pre-pays my gratuity, I've never once gotten the sense the server thought I was stiffing them. Remember, even if you dont prepay, you get auto charged for gratuities. So very, very few people actually hand servers a cash tip.

The aussie cruise market faces a huge test with bookings for our summer likely to face cancellations just 90 days from departure. Watch prices drop!!!

There are photographers around the ship, primarily in the evenings. On most ships, it's digital. Some still have printed photos to browse through. Overall, the photo package is worth it IF you take the time to get photos every day. It really boils down to you taking the time to get value out of it.

Contact your travel agent. If there’s a way they will know what to do. Make sure it’s a travel agent that knows about cruising. Maybe you could rebook on different dates. It varies with dates and availability.

I was thinking the same thing. My kids are six and three and I asked my wife “why didn’t we cruise more before we had kids” lol. Both our jobs are super flexible.

I disagree the best rates are a week before sailing and would definitely advise someone to plan their vacation based on what may or may not be available a week before the cruise. Can I assume you live near a cruise port? Perhaps in Florida? I get we Floridians are lucky to have so many choices, but most people don't cruise like that. And when it comes to prices, often the best prices are still booked far out. Sure, there can be last minute deals. But I would never bet on it for my family vacation.

@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog that's why I said for "retired" people who have flexibility. My statement was based on people who can go at a whims notice. Or someone who got last minute vacation time. But best prices are clearly just before the boat sails!

Gotcha!

But the airline tickets are really expensive.

@@janiekcarney5482 Are they? I dunno - maybe to and from some spots, but I get notifications from Google Flights for a number of routes I'm interested in. Today I got notification that some fares between TX and FL can be had for as low $20. Whereabouts are you, and where would you want to fly to?

Those are short cruises and old ships with nothing but bingo.

@@janiekcarney5482 Sure, they're shorter cruises, but cruises nonetheless. Even longer cruises can be pretty cheap: 6 days under $450; 7 days a little over $500. I don't have an issue with 'old' ships myself, as long as they're maintained and nice. And realistically, they have a heck of a lot more than bingo.

same here i got a cruise planned for 2024

Odyssey of the seas has chromecast. Need to purchase internet package to be able to use it.

Apologies for the confusion. You can rebook Cruise Planner purchases (drink packages, wifi, shore excursions etc) up to 48 hours before the cruise. You can rebook your cruise fare up until final payment date

@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Thank you sir!

interior cabins

@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog I only book Balconies. Haven't booked inside for 30 years. What do you normally book?

It really depends on the sailing and price. Most often balcony, but we recently did Promenade View room on Independence and doing suite on Wonder for our group cruise.

@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog I think that we are both looking forward to our ext cruise. Mine is on Sky Princess for Christmas. Happy Cruising.

A travel agent makes your life easier. Costs you nothing extra but they will save you time the more you use them. That's the true benefit.

I frequently use a travel agent although I do have one cruise booked in 2023 that I booked directly through RCI. The advantage of using a travel agent is they handle all the details, changes, phone calls with the cruise line, rate adjustments, etc. Sometimes, depending on the travel group the agent is associated with, they will purchase a block of staterooms and offer special rates for preferred clients. My husband and I will be going on Allure next September. I contacted my TA. Because the travel group had purchased a block of staterooms, we were able to get an ocean view balcony stateroom for $800/pp for a 7 nt western Caribbean cruise. This was significantly less than I could get booking directly through RCI. The other advantage of using a TA, even if the best fare is the same as what RC offers, is that a TA is able to view and access staterooms that do not appear on the RC website.

My travel agent has saved me over $300 so far for my cruise. It was booked in August(Feb cruise), but every few weeks almost I would get an email saying the price dropped. If I didn’t have a travel agent, I wouldn’t have known the price dropped. They have a computer system to auto alert them to drops.