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royal carribean cruise review

To cruise or not to cruise…

I’ve always found it fascinating to see the look on people’s faces when I disclose the fact that in my 30 years of life, I have never been on a single cruise. And this trip would literally be my first cruise ever. I really didn’t know what I was missing, but turns out, I was missing a whole lot.

It felt like every person I’ve spoken to has been on a cruise or two (or several), so even though taking a cruise was never on top of the list of things I really want to do, I still wanted to know what the experience is like. The idea of being stuck in a large floating hotel in the middle of the ocean for days is hardly appealing to me.

I’ve also only ever heard about cruises on the news and that is because something bad has happened, so you can imagine why I had my reservations. Whether it’s about a ship being stuck in the ocean or because of some unfortunate listeria outbreak, it was enough for me to not prioritize cruising as one of my “must-do.” So when I started to talk to more people about it, every single one of them had nothing but amazing things to say and how I was going to have a ton of fun. Hearing first hand accounts of their experiences along with tons of recommendations, I was convinced.

For Christmas, my boyfriend and I decided to gift each other a 4-night cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. It would be the first cruise for either of us, and I thought that was something special we could experience together.

royal carribean cruise
first cruise, royal caribbean

BOOKING

So like many of my travel planning, I usually start my booking process by using an online travel agency. One of my favorites is Expedia. If you make an account, you can bookmark your searches so you can come back to it at a later time.

Honestly, I don’t recommend rushing when booking trips. It requires a lot of planning and you really should do your research before anything else. For our very first cruise, we decided to go with Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Sea.

TIPS:

  • Download the app – I actually got this tip from another person’s IG account and it was such a great resource for the entire duration of our trip. Royal Caribbean’s app was so user friendly and had a ton of information regarding your cruise!
  • Get the drink package – If you plan on drinking alcoholic and other specialty beverages, this is a must! It took a little convincing for me to agree to this because it was a little pricey, but I quickly realized the value when I didn’t have to think about shelling out a ton of money every time I wanted a drink. Note: You will get charged a service fee!
  • Secure your sea pass card – Royal uses a no cash system so everyone gets a sea pass card. It’s your room key, ID to get on and off the ship, and also basically your credit card used to purchase items. I saw a lot of people who had their sea pass in a lanyard or some sort of travel pouch (see below) for easier access and so they don’t lose it. I even joked that you could tell who the seasoned cruisers were based on that.
  • Book your excursions early – I did this on my second day. You can find the excursion desk next to Guest services. I opted to do this for convenience and peace of mind. Knowing that I was covered if something were to happen during our time away from the ship, like not making it back on time. We were told that our guides would be able to contact the ship letting them know we were running late if that were the case.
  • Dining – The main dining experience with the buffet was impressive to me. The selection was abundant, and I very much enjoyed what they served. Then again, I’m not a very picky eater so there’s that. They do have specialty restaurants that you can make reservations for. If you would like to try one of their specialty restaurants, it is usually cheaper to go during lunch time vs dinner time.
  • Cruise Compass – this is a mini booklet that they give you daily. It includes the happenings and events on the ship for that day so you can plan your day accordingly.
  • Motion sickness – If this applies to you, plan accordingly. I get motion sickness during car rides, so I took some precaution and brought medication with me just in case. The good thing was I felt fine and didn’t have to take any!

It seemed like there was no shortage of things to do for everyone aboard the ship. From the parties by the poolside to trivia nights, they made sure there are plenty of activities for all ages. I’m glad I was able to add this to my travel/experience list. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. So much so that I’m very willing to make another cruise trip sometime in the future.

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Julie
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Tampa blogger that loves to try new things! Loves to write about experiences that make her happy hoping to inspire others to find their own bliss.

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