We are a newbie on Royal Caribbean and are looking for some tips to make the trip enjoyable. We have done 11 Disney and 2 NCL and 1 Carnival cruises. We are staying in the 1 bedroom Aquatheatre suite (Sky Class).
We have the Coco Cay water park day pass booked. We are also planning on eating often at Coastal Kitchen.
How are reservations made for the shows?
Should we eat at a specialty restaurant?
Should we get the drink package?
Are there any tips for parking at the port? (Port Canaveral)
Awesome!
We make reservations on the app before the cruise. If the app says all the shows are full, then on embarkation day, there will be a section of the ship where the crew helps you with booking shows. We did that for our last cruise, and they were able to get us a reservation for every show we wanted. And even then, if you are unable to (or you cancel a show or something else happens that you don't have a reservation), there should be a standby line before each show that you can wait in if there is room or people don't show up. Be sure to ask if the line is the standby or reservations line because on our last cruise (Wonder of the Seas), it was not marked.
Everybody is different, but my husband and I don't do a whole lot of specialty restaurants. We enjoy the food in Windjammer (buffet) and the included main dining rooms. However, if there is one that interests you, go for it. We found Wonderland to be really unique and fun, worth doing once, even if it was a bit pricey.
Hopefully someone who has had the drink package can provide feedback, but we (personally) do not get the drink package. We have found that in order to make it "worth it," you would have to drink about 6 drinks a day. And I think to book the drink package online, every adult in the stateroom has to purchase it.
The only tip I have for parking at Port Canaveral is if it's available, I like finding parking near the stairs and elevators to make it a little less of a walk.
Have a great time, and I hope you really enjoy cruising with Royal Caribbean! It is one of our favorites, and we have done
DCL and NCL as well.