Share your top tips for taking a cruise with Royal Caribbean - you could win a £200 Love2Shop voucher NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

Following the event day we ran last year on Oasis of the Seas, We have been asked by the team at Royal Caribbean to find out your top tips for cruising - whether this is with the family or without.

So whether you have been on one cruise, or a seasoned cruise lovers - please share your top tips for any MNer who may be contemplating their first family cruise this year.

For example:
~ What appeals to you and your family about a cruise holiday?
~ When's the best time to book?
~ Do you always book the same kind of State Room? What's best for you?
~ What about food and drink? What do you make a beeline for once on board?
~ And entertainment - what's the plan for you and for the DC on a typical day on board?
~ Excursions - do you do your own or go with the ones arranged by the cruise ship? What's the best place you have visited?
~ What is your top tip for cruising?

Please share your tips and thoughts on this thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £200 Love2Shop voucher. Please add your comment by 06-02-2015. Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Travel sickness tablets!!! I was very nauseous on and off!

I have not been on a cruise but my brother and his wife met another couple and had a few drinks and a meal with them on a cruise. The couple wouldn't leave them alone after that and as they were on a ship there was no escaping from them. They spent alot more time with them than they wanted too but said it was embarrassing because they didnt want to be rude. A good tip is to be careful who you make friends with as you might spend your whole holiday with them!!

If you feel sea sick get up on deck plenty of fresh air and focus on something on the horizon...

I have been lucky enough to go on about 20 cruises. It was my parents favourite kind of holiday. ( I can't afford them now!!) My tips would be:

1. Pack a range of different clothes, Formal nights require something a little fancier. It's a nice excuse to dress up in somthing glam. Djs for the men.
2. Do your research on your ports of call, you can often arrange your own excursions at a much cheaper rate. If you are nervous of travelling on your own go with the ships pre-arranged excursions. Check out which taxis are safe.
3. Make sure you go on a good diet before you go away. Once you arrive on board it is a 24 hour eating experience. Breakfast rolls into brunch, brunch rolls into lunch, lunch rolls into afternoon tea and afternoon tea into dinner.
4. If you are going with children make use of childrens tea and the childrens clubs. Some of the ships will also have a nursery where the children can be babysat and watched while they sleep allowing you to enjoy the evening.
5. Outside cabins are great if you are travelling somwhere particularly scenic but when I started to pay for them myself I was happy with an indoor room!
6. My top recommended places to go on a cruise are New England in the fall. Amazing colours and Maine is wonderfully scenic. Norway in mid-summer and you must go across the arctic circle. The ship we went with for this had a champagne party as we went across and we all received certificates. The caribbean is fantastic at easter time and Tortola in the British Virgin Islands was my favourite island. Cane garden bay is fab as is Virgin gorda.

Cruises are an amazing way to travel as they really do take you to some places you might not otherwise choose to go for a holiday. For instance we went to the san blas islands when we cruised to Panama and met tribal people. There was a big chief who allowed us to visit. It was a once in a lifetime experience. And I'll also never forget going up to the acropolis, St Peter's palace, Venice at night and Tivoli gardens.

Choose a cruise to warm climes. We had some bad weather on the one we went on and everyone stayed inside. I found it was too crowded and claustrophibic.
Remember to take your evening gear and suits. My hubby forgot and left his hanging up at home so we were restricted as to which restaurants we could visit.

We took our first cruise when our son was 3, he's now 20 and we've done over 30 cruises so its definitely the holiday for us. There really is something for all ages and a chance for family time and even a bit of 'me' time too.

My son's top tip for families, make sure the kids go to the kids/teens club on the first night get together. Its when they all get to know each other and he has made several long term friends from all over the world.

My top tip, if you think you might cruise again, sign up for the loyalty club, after a few trips the benefits add up and RCL has the best loyalty benefits out there.

Pray for fine weather. We took a short cruise round the British Isles as a taster, and it virtually rained every day.

book early for great deals and tip at the beginning

I went on a med cruise with NCL, it was great, we had a balcony cabin which was lovely and big, great to sit out on when the ship set sail each night. The food was fantastic, lots of choice and always available, loads of entertainment provided and it was great waking up to a new port each day. With regards to excursions, do your homework, the prices of the cruise led excursions is super expensive and with a bit of research you can often find a cheaper company providing a very similar service, or do it yourself on public transport for a fraction of the cost. The only downsides were factoring in the cost of alcohol, we paid for a package so we could drink without worrying about the cost of each mounting up but it was still quite pricey, and also the pools were quite small and crowded, but then we did go in August!! I would happily do another cruise but would prefer a 2 week one rather than 1 week one.

We usually have an inside cabin because we only use it to sleep & dress in. The 'Welcome Party' is to get you to book the highly priced excursions before you have a chance to realise how expensive they are. Research all the ports of call & organise excursions yourself. Often you can use a local taxi at a cheap rate & this combines having a local guide that will take you to the best places with local knowledge. Going on local buses or trains really gives a flavour of the country you are visiting. Use wii fi in cafes or places where it is free because on board it is generally expensive. The live shows are generally excellent & equally as good as top West End theatre shows so not to be missed.

I have never been on one as I would worry that the DC would get bored. I think I am wrong though given what others have told me. It sounds like there is lots to do. My only concern is that I might go a bit stir crazy being with so many people all of the time (not just my family!)

I love cruises as there is none of the stress of travelling to lots of destinations, you can just relax on the ship then get off to explore the world!

We book early as we need 3 rooms and want them close together. If you can wait you can often get cheaper prices but less choice in room/dining time etc so it's swings and roundabouts.

I think cruising is great for children. So much to do onboard - we didn't use the kids clubs but not once did any say they were bored and they are all excited for the next cruise

I've cruised twice and my tip is ....
take a sea sickness pill everyday regardless!

Felt fab

Take plenty of exercise on "Sea days" by power walking around the deck
for several miles...invigorating and it helps keep off the pound from the excellent food served on board.

For example
What appeals to you and your family about a cruise holiday? just getting away together
When's the best time to book? as soon as possible , as I want to choose the state rooms
* Do you always book the same kind of State Room? What's best for you?* only cruised once before , we wanted interconnecting balcony staterooms
~ What about food and drink? What do you make a beeline for once on board? on Celebrity , I wanted to be on the top deck , at the back watching the wake with a glass of wine in my hand as we left Southampton
And entertainment - what's the plan for you and for the DC on a typical day on board? they spent all their time in the teen club and made loads of friends and we hardly saw them !!
~ Excursions - do you do your own or go with the ones arranged by the cruise ship? What's the best place you have visited?* did our own excursions as the ship ones were pricey .
Loved Palma
~ What is your top tip for cruising? chat to every body ! We loved talking to the 2 American ladies seated next to us in the dining room

I've seen booking meals mentioned a few times on the thread. Is this standard? I assumed we just turned up and ate.
New cruiser. :)

My tip is be prepared and pack wisely because if you forget essentials it can be quite costly.

The impossible - on p and o you can choose to have a set dining time for the main dining room (6pm or 8pm) and then you eat at that time every night and have the same table and waiting staff every night. Or you can choose to eat in a different dining room where you just turn up but you may end up having to wait for a table then.

Then there is the buffets which run pretty much 24/7 and the 'special' restaurants which you pay a small amount extra to use.

We've cruised as a family twice with Royal Caribbean, once to The Canaries and once to France and Spain. We enjoyed both and are now hooked on cruising. We are going on our third cruise with Norweigan next month, this time flying out to NYC and cruising from there to Florida and the Bahamas.

We love cruising because we aren't really a beach type family who like relaxing holidays doing nothing, we like to keep busy doing different things and seeing different places. Cruising is perfect for us. There are so many different things to do onboard from games, quizzes, ice skating, casino, shows, wall climbing, gym, spa, lazing by the pool, shopping, not to mention the huge choice of bars and eating venues, the list goes on and that's all just on the ship not to mention the different ports.

We've always gone for the cheapest inside cabin and will continue to do this. We only really sleep in our room so wouldn't pay the extra for a balcony or suite as wouldn't get the use out of it. We'd rather spend the extra money on cocktails or on other treats.

The food on board is out of this world. We usually go for breakfast in the buffet restaurant looking out to sea, lunch either buffet or room service or just a snack from one of the many options on board and evening meal we enjoy going to the main dining room for a 3 course meal. We've found the food and service on board to be amazing. One tip - try to lose at 10 pounds before your cruise so that you can put it all back on with all the yummy food you'll be eating onboard.

We generally do our own thing when we get to port, usually just having a wander in the place we are and looking around the town / shops / beach or whatever. And back on the ship in time for a late lunch of course! We've even stayed on the ship a couple of times and had it all to ourselves. We keep costs down by not spending in the casino, we might have a little game of something once or twice but not regularly. We don't dine at the speciality restaurants as there is really no need with the excellent food included. Unlimited soda drinks packages are great value for the kids, we don't bother with the unlimited alcohol packages as you'd need to be drinking a lot to get your moneys worth and I'd spend the cruise drunk if I did that, I love my cocktails so go for the drink of the day which is at a reduced price and you can pay a bit extra to keep the speciality cocktail glass and take it home as a souvenier too. Our bill at the end of the cruise has never been more than a few hundred, we find it good value. Of course, tips need to be taken into account too but most cruise lines let you pre pay those now and we do tip extra for great service.

Similar on Royal Caribbean, you can either pick to have the same time every night (early or late sitting), or have the flexible one where you either turn up and wait or book earlier in the day. You can opt to have a table to yourselves,or sit with other people, last time we went we mainly sat with other people and it was nice and sociable, tended to be the same people most nights. Or there are speciality restaurants that you book ahead as you would on land, or the buffet, which is open most of the time.

Thanks. Sounds like it's safe to wing it, which is what we were planning to do. We're only allowed 1 bottle of wine each as carry on and none in cases so will have to pay for alcoholic drinks with an extra tip for them apparently, but that should be only extra expense (am I being naive?) apart from when at port. So excited!

Try to go on all inclusive as the drinks bill can soon mount up very quickly!

There can be other expenses, spa treatments, onboard shops and casino spring to mind, but obviously those are completely optional. Oh and there are photographers taking photos of you (if you want) at various times, such as when dressed up for formal nights, you can avoid them altogether easily enough, but if you buy they can get expensive.

I like the idea of being able to visit several places on one trip without constantly carting my belongings everywhere.