Budget Backpackers Adjusting to Cruise

[Slonik]

My girlfriend and I are finishing up a 6+ month trip backpacking through Italy, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. We'll be taking a transatlantic cruise back to the US but are concerned because we are not coming from our home for the cruise like most of the other travelers.

 

For formal night, how casual can we dress without being turned away or offending our table mates? We have been traveling with just our backpacks for over 6 months so we only have a handful of things to wear. I have 1 pair of pants, 1 pair of shorts, and 2 button down collared shirts...no ties and no tux! Will I be okay in light colored cargo pants, brown shows, and a black or dark blue button down collared shirt?

 

Is it okay to hand wash our clothes in our sink and hang it to dry in our room? Our room attendant will be coming in and we don't want him to think we're hobos. We have quick drying clothes so even in an inside cabin, it should dry within 24 hrs. We are sailing RCCL/RCI so don't want to pay $25 for a bag of laundry.

 

We don't want to spend extra money on drinks (we don't really drink alcohol much so being dry for 2 weeks will be a piece of cake) so is it possible to bring 2-4 water bottles (sealed) with us and refill on ship? We heard that "tap" water is free and readily available onboard.

 

I'll be looking to work out at the gym which I heard is included in the price. Does anyone know if there is a spa (steam room or sauna) included in the price as well? We're not getting treatments, just looking to sit in a steamroom post workout. We are sailing Adventure of the Seas.

 

Other than the auto gratuity charged to our room account everyday, when will we need to tip as well? I know of porter upon dropping off bags when we first board and then room service. For room service, how much do you give the guy since there's no price on the bill.

 

Are the outlets on our ship US outlets? Adventure of the Seas.

 

Is there a better place in the forum to ask these questions? Should I post all of this in our roll call forum?

[138east]

My girlfriend and I are finishing up a 6+ month trip backpacking through Italy, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. We'll be taking a transatlantic cruise back to the US but are concerned because we are not coming from our home for the cruise like most of the other travelers.

 

For formal night, how casual can we dress without being turned away or offending our table mates? We have been traveling with just our backpacks for over 6 months so we only have a handful of things to wear. I have 1 pair of pants, 1 pair of shorts, and 2 button down collared shirts...no ties and no tux! Will I be okay in light colored cargo pants, brown shows, and a black or dark blue button down collared shirt?

 

Is it okay to hand wash our clothes in our sink and hang it to dry in our room? Our room attendant will be coming in and we don't want him to think we're hobos. We have quick drying clothes so even in an inside cabin, it should dry within 24 hrs. We are sailing RCCL/RCI so don't want to pay $25 for a bag of laundry.

 

We don't want to spend extra money on drinks (we don't really drink alcohol much so being dry for 2 weeks will be a piece of cake) so is it possible to bring 2-4 water bottles (sealed) with us and refill on ship? We heard that "tap" water is free and readily available onboard.

 

I'll be looking to work out at the gym which I heard is included in the price. Does anyone know if there is a spa (steam room or sauna) included in the price as well? We're not getting treatments, just looking to sit in a steamroom post workout. We are sailing Adventure of the Seas.

 

Other than the auto gratuity charged to our room account everyday, when will we need to tip as well? I know of porter upon dropping off bags when we first board and then room service. For room service, how much do you give the guy since there's no price on the bill.

 

Are the outlets on our ship US outlets? Adventure of the Seas.

 

Is there a better place in the forum to ask these questions? Should I post all of this in our roll call forum?

 

No worries on any of your questions. Things have gotten a lot more casual on RCL's and I find the TA's to be particularly casual. Just dress as neatly as your wardrobe will allow on a formal night.

 

On a long cruise I do hand laundry in my cabin.

 

The water is just fine on the ship. The Windjammer also offers lemonade and iced tea and you can order these in the MDR as well.

 

The Adventure should have a steam room and a sauna in the men's and ladies' locker rooms for no charge.

 

If you carry your bags on the ship, you don't tip the porters. I don't do room service, but others have said $1-2 for a small order and $3-5 for a large order.

 

There are US outlets and the two prong round European plugs.

Edited September 29, 2014 by 138east

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I've answered some of your questions below. I haven't sailed Royal, but some of the things you're asking are pretty standard across lines. What a great trip you're taking! DD and I traveled through Europe for five weeks last summer and I'd loved to have taken a TA to get back home. What a wonderful, relaxing way to end a great trip!

 

I suggest you go over to the RCI board to ask questions specific to that cruise line. Lots of experts there.

 

 

My girlfriend and I are finishing up a 6+ month trip backpacking through Italy, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. We'll be taking a transatlantic cruise back to the US but are concerned because we are not coming from our home for the cruise like most of the other travelers.

 

For formal night, how casual can we dress without being turned away or offending our table mates? We have been traveling with just our backpacks for over 6 months so we only have a handful of things to wear. I have 1 pair of pants, 1 pair of shorts, and 2 button down collared shirts...no ties and no tux! Will I be okay in light colored cargo pants, brown shows, and a black or dark blue button down collared shirt? We traveled with only backpacks and one carry-on size bag each, so for elegant night on our cruise, we were not as "fancy" as we usually are. But, we did bring nice slacks and blouses (but, of course, we had more room than you!) as we were eating in a couple nice restaurants on the non-cruise portion of our trip. It's totally understandable that you wouldn't bring extra clothing for just a night or two on your cruise.

 

I don't know how dressy they get on Royal, so be sure to ask this question over on the RCI board (or I'm sure someone experienced cruising RCI will chime in here).

 

 

Is it okay to hand wash our clothes in our sink and hang it to dry in our room? Our room attendant will be coming in and we don't want him to think we're hobos. We have quick drying clothes so even in an inside cabin, it should dry within 24 hrs. We are sailing RCCL/RCI so don't want to pay $25 for a bag of laundry. I would think it would be fine to do this, but they may have laundry facilities on board for guests. Again, haven't sailed that cruise line so don't know for sure. Just keep in mind that your steward needs to be able to do his job and clean your room. I wouldn't want to do aything that might make my steward's job more difficult.:o

 

We don't want to spend extra money on drinks (we don't really drink alcohol much so being dry for 2 weeks will be a piece of cake) so is it possible to bring 2-4 water bottles (sealed) with us and refill on ship? We heard that "tap" water is free and readily available onboard. On the cruise lines I've sailed, you can bring pretty much as much bottled water on board as you like. The water on board is typically very good. There are usually free drinks in the buffet area as well--iced tea, coffee, lemonade and such.

 

I'll be looking to work out at the gym which I heard is included in the price. Does anyone know if there is a spa (steam room or sauna) included in the price as well? We're not getting treatments, just looking to sit in a steamroom post workout. We are sailing Adventure of the Seas.

 

Other than the auto gratuity charged to our room account everyday, when will we need to tip as well? I know of porter upon dropping off bags when we first board and then room service. For room service, how much do you give the guy since there's no price on the bill. When we order room service, we tip based on how much we order and how many plates or how heavy the tray is. Typically for breakfast for the two of us, I would tip ~$3.

 

Are the outlets on our ship US outlets? Adventure of the Seas. There should be at least one outlet that is U.S.-type. Cruise ship cabins generally don't have too many outlets. It can be quite the challenge if you have electronics to charge.

 

Is there a better place in the forum to ask these questions? Should I post all of this in our roll call forum? Each of the cruise lines has it's own forum here on Cruise Critic, so you can find answers to your questions there.

 

Have a great trip and cruise!

[dsrdsrdsr]

Why don't you want the steward to think you're hobos? Unless he refuses to serve you, it doesn't really matter (neither to him nor to you) what he thinks.

 

You can refill bottles from the tap in your cabin, or (on most lines, and I doubt RCL is any different) from the buffet water supply. Bear in mind that because of perceived health risks, you need to fill clean glasses at the buffet and take them back to your table before pouring them into the bottle. Taking a used glass or a bottle to the water cooler causes illness in other passengers.

 

Porters? Room service? You've been backpacking for 6 months, you don't need either. ;)

[cruisead]

I'm going to be very honest with you. One pair of slacks for a 14 night cruise? I just don't see how this will work. Unlike another poster on this thread, we've been on quite a few Atlantic crossings, a couple of them on Royal Caribbean, and find them to be dressier than cruises on other itineraries. Also, shorts are not allowed in the main dining room for dinner, so you're going to be wearing one pair of slacks every night? Of course, you can dine in the buffet every night, as there isn't much of a dress code for that venue.

 

What are you planning on wearing during the day? Shorts, jeans and slacks and tshirts are the norm. What will your girlfriend wear in the evening? Do you have a jacket or some other warmer clothing? Depending on when you're crossing is, it can be quite cool on a crossing.

 

You can bring refillable bottles on board. While you can dry items in your cabin, you cannot put anything out on a balcony if you have one. Your cabin steward must be able to access your cabin twice a day, so it would be good if your laundry weren't in the way while he cleans.

 

Not everything in the workout center is free, so make sure what you do doesn't have a charge. The sauna/steam areas are segregated by gender---no co-ed features.

Edited September 29, 2014 by cruisead

[Cruisin' Chick]

" I would think it would be fine to do this, but they may have laundry facilities on board for guests. Again, haven't sailed that cruise line so don't know for sure. Just keep in mind that your steward needs to be able to do his job and clean your room. I wouldn't want to do aything that might make my steward's job more difficult.:o"

 

We haven't sailed on Royal Caribbean, but just to clarify, this line doesn't have self-service laundries, if this is what the poster was referring to. Just a regular ship's laundry service. As we are aiming for longer (two week) cruises, and have done these for the last three cruises, or pairing with a land trip, a deal breaker for us is the presence of self-service laundries, so Princess is a good fit for us. We can pack less clothing (but I would never be able to do as little as you're taking) and not have to pay laundry prices and risk having their service shrink my clothing (plus one of us is allergic to regular detergent).

 

You should go on the Royal Caribbean website and read up on the FAQs, and on the ship you're going on. One question you can ask on the Royal Caribbean board here is about dining options, especially on formal nights. Some cruise lines have casual dining such as buffets that are open most of the time and even allow shorts at dinner.

 

As for room service, that's optional. I don't think we've ordered room service on a cruise since my first sailing. Usually many people will offer a tip to their delivery person.

[Slonik]

Thanks for answering my questions. That gives me a much better idea of what to expect on this cruise. I'll ask the more detailed questions in the RCI specific forums.

 

It's true that we don't need room service or porters but I don't want to carry around my backpack to the buffet and around the ship the first day. I heard that the rooms aren't available immediately so we planned to get onboard asap and then explore the ship, get some photos (my girlfriend blogs and will probably do several posts about the 2 week cruise), and grab some lunch in the buffet. With room service, I'm sure that there will be a morning or 2 when we will be heading out for the day on port days and will want a quick breakfast in the room before we go out without the hastle of the buffet or MDR.

 

I'll probably pick up an extra pair of pants for the cruise because we plan to do the MDR most nights. I know the no shorts rule and have no problem with that. We googled the menus on RCI and it looks pretty nice. It will be fun to have good service as well. In some of the countries that we visited, waiters/waitresses weren't anywhere as good as those in the US. I gotta buy a pair of sneakers too for the gym.

 

We're both really looking forward to this cruise. We are going to try to explore as much of the ship and activities as possible!

[cb at sea]

You will be fine, clotheswise....some will be dressed to the nines on formal nights, but not all....if you want, on those nights, you could eat in one of the other venues that don't specify "formal"....your choice!

 

The ship is your floating resort, albeit, with smaller rooms than hotels!

 

Here's a hint....if you handwash stuff, hang them on a hanger from the airvent in your room...they will dry MUCH faster than in the bathroom!

[NMLady]

There should be a clothesline in your shower for hanging clothes you've handwashed. It is the retractable kind that you pull out from one side and attach on the other.

 

If you ever feel the Main Dining Room is too dressy for you on formal nights you can also eat in the buffet instead. No formal dress code there and shorts are allowed there.

 

You're going to love cruising. :)