What does a Royal Caribbean new cruiser need to know?

[Morecruisesplz]

3 hours ago, Denversail said:

You will find the MDR experience similar to the lines you have cruised on. For an enhanced experience I would suggest the UDP. It is a nice improvement over the MDR if you don’t mind spending the funds. 

You dont need UDP. Book a 3 to 5 night package. 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. On these massive ships I would carefully research any and all necessary dining reservations and show reservations which will make for a more relaxed onboard experience.  I compare it to visiting Disney World which is like a military planning operation lol.  We generally don’t micromanage our vacation planning as it is a vacation but planning unfortunately must be done. Even land vacations are unfortunately requiring planning. In NY and Hawaii where we divide our time restaurant reservations are a must. Unless we get takeout. That said to avoid disappointment these boards are a treasure trove of information and you should cull them and make and informed decision. Keep us posted and enjoy. Planning is part of the fun!

[taglovestocruise]

Enjoy the free breakfast at JR in the morning before 10am.  MTD starts about 6:45, many are in line at 6.

[George C]

11 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

You dont need UDP. Book a 3 to 5 night package. 

You might not need it , but I love it , i am sure we will book it on all future cruises.

[2chiefs]

16 hours ago, Husky1987 said:

May be true on some ships or some times, but not necessarily.  My app has always shown a "Hungry Now?" tab under restaurants that will show what's open at the moment.

Oh cool. I didn't see that on our last cruise. Does it also post all the other venue hours in one spot like the compass too?

Thanks

[CruisingFromLA]

Thanking for asking these questions as I am new to RC and am trying to figure it all out as well. l will be on the same ship and dates as you on HoS. I have a teen son also (17 year-old) that I will be taking onto the cruise. 

[2chiefs]

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

Enjoy the free breakfast at JR in the morning before 10am.  MTD starts about 6:45, many are in line at 6.

YES!! It's great. Usually immediate seating as well.

[Husky1987]

10 minutes ago, 2chiefs said:

Oh cool. I didn't see that on our last cruise. Does it also post all the other venue hours in one spot like the compass too?

Thanks

Yes, the app has always shown me open hours in the dining section for all the places you can eat on the ship.

[2chiefs]

20 hours ago, Husky1987 said:

Yes, the app has always shown me open hours in the dining section for all the places you can eat on the ship.

I was asking about other venues besides dining (pool, bar, sports hours etc.). See the clip below. This is really handy having all the hours on one page without having to click through multiple screens on the app:

[Jenna1983]

Hi. New to Royal myself. For MTD if you’re traveling with other cabins, how do you get them linked for dining purposes? 

[Morecruisesplz]

7 minutes ago, Jenna1983 said:

Hi. New to Royal myself. For MTD if you’re traveling with other cabins, how do you get them linked for dining purposes? 

You can do it the app. (Need names and their res #.) But we always have our TA do it. 

[Jenna1983]

14 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

You can do it the app. (Need names and their res #.) But we always have our TA do it. 

Thank you!! 
 

Now I just need to figure out why RC has decided Day 6 doesn’t exist on the cruise to make MTD reservations. Does Alaska have a time warp I don’t know about? /s

[RedSails1968]

8 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

You can do it the app. (Need names and their res #.) But we always have our TA do it. 

I also needed their dates of birth to make specialty dining reservations. 

[Sunshine3601]

10 minutes ago, RedSails1968 said:

I also needed their dates of birth to make specialty dining reservations. 

That is really odd.    We didn't need DOB to make reservations for Chops or Jaimies on our linked cruise end of March.   I don't think I needed them last year when we had a linked cruise then.    Is this something new?  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 2/26/2023 at 5:35 PM, njsmom said:

My son loves to ice skate, so he is looking forward to the show and the free skate. He's even going to take his own skates. Thanks!

make sure to bring long socks for this. We also bring gloves for DS. He first tried skating on the Allure and fell in love with is. He is pretty good for a novice (took lessons), but he hates it now. 😞

They have both hockey and figure skates if you don't want to lug your own (they are heavy...). Must wear a helmet they provide. Must sign a waiver for the kid.

 

Not sure if it's been mentioned before (don't have time to read all responses): RCI checks the pool towels out to you, and you have to make sure to check them in with your card when you return them. Otherwise, you get charged $25 per towel.

 

Make sure to use the phone app or online app to make MTD reservations in advance. Probably, not too many open times left at this point in time.

Also, 30 days out make all show reservations on the app as well.

 

"Mustard grill" is going to be on the app and then you scan the card at the muster station.

 

Sign the waiver for the surfing and the zip line.

 

Make sure to do the Abyss slide!!! We did that a few times on the first day alone, however, you can't have anything on you, and you can't have your bags with you either.

 

On Harmony, if Windjammer buffet is too full, head to the Solarium buffet instead. Have a nice quick bite at the Park cafe on deck 8 in Central park - nice sandwiches, soups, salads, coffee, tea, desserts. We love Park Cafe. 

Also a nice place for quick bites is right by the sports court - Mini Bites on Deck 15. 

My kid also loves Sorrento Pizza (pepperoni).

 

I've always wanted to try the free breakfast at Johnny Rockets, but my DH and DS prefer the buffet.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy

[RedSails1968]

52 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

That is really odd.    We didn't need DOB to make reservations for Chops or Jaimies on our linked cruise end of March.   I don't think I needed them last year when we had a linked cruise then.    Is this something new?  

I don’t know. I thought I just needed their res number. Maybe because we weren’t linked at the time. Once I made reservations for all of us, it seems we are now linked. 

[Denversail]

2 minutes ago, RedSails1968 said:

I don’t know. I thought I just needed their res number. Maybe because we weren’t linked at the time. Once I made reservations for all of us, it seems we are now linked. 

Just be warned when linking reservations your MDR dining times must match. We are having a grand time sorting this issue out. We knew we would have UDP so didn’t really pay attention to this detail when booking.

[RedSails1968]

12 minutes ago, Denversail said:

Just be warned when linking reservations your MDR dining times must match. We are having a grand time sorting this issue out. We knew we would have UDP so didn’t really pay attention to this detail when booking.

Thanks. We all have MTD. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

13 hours ago, RedSails1968 said:

Thanks. We all have MTD. 

I linked our bookings first and then made all the reservations for all 5 of us.