Royal Caribbean Worldwide is among the world’s largest and hottest cruise traces, working practically 30 ships throughout a number of lessons and crusing to locations across the globe. Identified for pushing the boundaries of cruise ship innovation with groundbreaking facilities and record-breaking vessels, Royal Caribbean has redefined what’s doable at sea. From surf simulators and waterparks to Broadway-style productions, the cruise line persistently delivers distinctive holidays for a lot of vacationers.
Nonetheless, Royal Caribbean’s huge ships and amusement park-like facilities can create a cruise expertise that feels overwhelming, crowded, and costly to others. Whether or not you’re a first-time cruiser or simply new to the cruise line, understanding the professionals and cons of Royal Caribbean is important to figuring out if this cruise line aligns together with your trip expectations.
We’ve sailed on a number of Royal Caribbean ships throughout totally different lessons and itineraries, experiencing all the things from their latest Icon-class vessels to their extra conventional Voyager-class ships, and share our complete Royal Caribbean evaluation. We break down what we expect makes Royal Caribbean distinctive and the place it would fall brief for some that will help you determine if it’s the best selection for you and your journey celebration.
Fast Comparability
| ✓ Execs of Royal Caribbean | ✗ Cons of Royal Caribbean |
|---|---|
| Finest leisure at sea | Massive ship sizes will be overwhelming |
| World’s largest cruise ships | Inconsistent meals high quality and selection |
| Revolutionary onboard sights | Increased value level than rivals |
| Good Day at CocoCay personal island | A number of households and youngsters onboard |
| Robust loyalty program and perks | No ship-within-a-ship advanced |
| Nice for multigenerational teams | Assorted high quality throughout ship lessons |
| Reciprocity on sister manufacturers | No choice for all-inclusive packages |
| Environment friendly embarkation course of | Alaska cruises don’t go to Glacier Bay |
| Assorted itineraries worldwide | Elevated give attention to personal locations |
| Wide selection of cabin classes | |
| Drink packages nonetheless limitless |
The Execs of Royal Caribbean Cruises
1. Finest Leisure at Sea
Royal Caribbean persistently units the gold normal for cruise ship leisure. Their Broadway-style productions function full orchestras, elaborate costumes, and immersive know-how and stage units that rival land-based theaters. Reveals like “Hairspray”, “Mamma Mia!”, and “Grease” supply genuine Broadway experiences onboard Royal Caribbean ships. There’s additionally top-notch authentic productions like “Flight” and “The Wizard of Oz”.
Past the Broadway-style leisure, Royal Caribbean ships function ice skating reveals and high-diving performances in aqua theaters that you just received’t discover on every other cruise line. The leisure selection extends to comedy golf equipment, piano bars, dwell music venues, and themed events that maintain the power excessive all through the cruise.
2. World’s Largest Cruise Ships
Royal Caribbean operates a number of of the biggest cruise ships on the earth, together with the large Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas. These floating cities supply an unprecedented number of eating, leisure, and actions all below one roof. The sheer scale permits for facilities that merely wouldn’t match on smaller vessels, together with precise neighborhoods like Central Park with actual bushes and crops and the family-friendly Boardwalk and Surfside with seaside vibes.
The scale benefit means you’ll by no means run out of issues to do, even on longer cruises. Every ship appears like a vacation spot in itself providing one thing everybody in your journey celebration will love. The largest downside could be making an attempt to suit all the things into one cruise. The FOMO is actual for us!
3. Revolutionary Onboard Points of interest
No cruise line pushes the envelope fairly like Royal Caribbean on the subject of onboard improvements. FlowRider surf simulators allow you to catch waves in the course of the ocean, whereas mountain climbing partitions supply vertical challenges with ocean views. The Final Abyss dry slide on Oasis class ships is among the tallest slide at sea, whereas the North Star statement pod on Quantum class ships offers 360-degree views from 300 ft above sea degree.
There’s even an iFLY skydiving simulator, ice skating rink, bumper automobiles within the SeaPlex, laser tag, a carousel within the Boardwalk neighborhood, and escape rooms on choose ships within the fleet. Newer ships function much more bold sights just like the Icon class which boasts the biggest waterpark at sea with six record-breaking waterslides.
4. Good Day at CocoCay
Royal Caribbean’s personal island vacation spot within the Bahamas persistently ranks among the many greatest cruise line personal islands. Good Day at CocoCay provides the tallest waterslide in North America, a freshwater pool with swim-up bar, zip traces, Splashaway Bay for the little ones, and pristine seashores with complimentary lounge chairs and umbrellas. There’s additionally the adults-only Hideaway Seashore and the unique Coco Seashore Membership for these on the lookout for an upgraded island expertise.
Whereas some detest the amusement park vibes, we really imagine that the island offers one thing for everybody. Thrill-seekers can spend the day (and a few money) having fun with the Thrill Waterpark and the Up, Up, & Away helium balloon journey. These searching for leisure can declare spots on the gorgeous seashores alongside Chill Island, whereas these searching for a energetic environment can head to the complimentary Oasis Lagoon pool. There’s additionally a complimentary barbecue buffet lunch and a number of Snack Shack areas across the island, and the cruise line’s drink package deal works ashore. This implies you’ll have all the things you want for an ideal day at CocoCay.
And we are able to attest that the island’s design ensures it by no means feels overcrowded regardless of accommodating hundreds of company.
5. Robust Loyalty Program and Perks
Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program provides significant advantages that enhance with every cruise. In actual fact, we expect the perks are a number of the greatest within the cruise business. With increased tiers, company unlock perks like Crown Lounge entry, free days of web, free laundry, and complimentary drinks, together with quite a lot of onboard reductions.
Maybe the largest perk is the drink coupons for Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle members. These company obtain 4, 5, or 6 drink vouchers a day that can be utilized to buy drinks at nearly any venue on the ship. This is usually a massive price financial savings for many who take pleasure in a couple of alcoholic drinks on a cruise (and remove the necessity to buy a drink package deal).
6. Nice for Multigenerational Teams and Households
Royal Caribbean excels at creating experiences that attraction to a number of generations touring collectively. Journey Ocean youngsters’ golf equipment are among the many greatest at sea, providing age-appropriate programming from infants to youngsters. In the meantime, dad and mom can take pleasure in date-night with subtle eating, lounges, and leisure whereas grandparents can recognize the extra relaxed areas just like the Solarium or strike up a recreation of pickleball on the sports activities courtroom. This implies everybody can spend a part of the day having fun with their very own hobbies however nonetheless carve out time to make household reminiscences collectively.
Household-friendly stateroom configurations, together with connecting rooms and suites, make group journey logistics simpler too.
7. Reciprocity on Sister Manufacturers
Royal Caribbean Group’s loyalty program extends throughout sister manufacturers Movie star Cruises and Silversea. This implies your Royal Caribbean loyalty standing carries over while you cruise with sister manufacturers, supplying you with comparable perks. As an illustration, if you’re Diamond in Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society, you’ll sail on Movie star with Elite standing or Silversea with 250 Venetian Society days, the place you’ll obtain the perks for that respective cruise line’s loyalty program.
This reciprocity is especially helpful for cruisers who take pleasure in selection, permitting them to expertise Movie star’s subtle environment or Silversea’s luxurious whereas nonetheless receiving their loyalty advantages. Of observe although, loyalty factors usually are not cumulative throughout all three manufacturers.
8. Environment friendly Embarkation and Disembarkation
Royal Caribbean has streamlined the boarding course of considerably in recent times providing some of the stress-free embarkation day experiences within the business. The corporate’s check-in course of lets you full most paperwork upfront within the app, whereas their terminal operations have been optimized to deal with hundreds of passengers effectively. Precedence boarding for suite company and higher-tier loyalty members additional reduces wait instances.
Equally, regardless of having the biggest cruise ships on the earth, Royal Caribbean has mastered the disembarkation course of. In contrast to different cruise traces, company received’t wait in lengthy traces to exit the ship. The method is fast and environment friendly.
9. Assorted Itineraries
Royal Caribbean’s huge fleet permits the cruise line to supply a formidable number of itineraries spanning the globe. From brief 3-day Bahamas getaways to epic world cruises, the road provides choices for each schedule and price range. Locations vary from conventional Caribbean and Mediterranean routes to bucket checklist areas like Alaska, Asia, Australia, or the Norwegian fjords.
The road sails from practically 30 totally different departure ports all year long as properly, which means you’ll seemingly discover a homeport to fit your journey wants. Whether or not you need an final weekend getaway with a go to to Good Day at CocoCay or need to go to a far-flung locale, Royal Caribbean makes it doable.
10. Vast Vary of Cabin Classes
Royal Caribbean provides an in depth collection of stateroom classes, from budget-friendly inside cabins to multi-bedroom suites with Royal Genie service. Distinctive lodging choices embody Central Park, Boardwalk, or Surfside neighborhood views on Oasis class and Icon Class ships. There’s additionally infinite balconies, digital balconies, and panoramic view staterooms on choose ship lessons. To not point out, studio cabins exist in restricted portions in addition to connecting household staterooms and accessible staterooms.
This selection ensures you could find lodging that match each your price range and preferences, whether or not you desire a easy place to sleep or an expensive dwelling base to your trip.
11. Drink Packages Nonetheless Limitless
Whereas many cruise traces have imposed day by day limits on alcoholic drinks, Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Beverage Package deal stays really limitless. This consists of premium spirits and cocktails as much as $14, wine by the glass, beer, specialty coffees, and contemporary juices all through the cruise. It additionally consists of soda, bottled water, and smoothies.
The limitless nature of the package deal offers wonderful worth for some and eliminates the necessity to observe consumption or fear about hitting day by day limits. It’s additionally an effective way to attempt new drinks and never fear about losing cash when you don’t like them.
The Cons of Royal Caribbean Cruises
1. Massive Ship Sizes Can Be Overwhelming for First-Timers
Royal Caribbean’s huge ships, whereas spectacular, aren’t for everybody. They are often genuinely overwhelming for newcomers to cruising and even for many who have solely sailed on smaller ships. First-time cruisers may spend the primary few days of their trip simply determining the place all the things is positioned. Moreover, the sheer variety of eating venues, onboard sights, and leisure choices can create severe nervousness.
The scale could make easy duties like getting from one finish of the ship to a different time-consuming and even troublesome for these with mobility points. To not point out, crowds may very well be a difficulty as properly, particularly when ready for an elevator or across the leisure venues close to showtime. Whereas some company love that there are such a lot of selections and limitless actions, others discover it exhausting and over stimulating.
2. Inconsistent Meals High quality and Selection
Royal Caribbean’s specialty eating places usually ship wonderful delicacies, with staples like Chops Grille and Izumi, in addition to distinctive eating experiences like Wonderland or Royal Railway Utopia Station. With that being stated, the primary eating room expertise will be inconsistent. Meals high quality varies considerably between ships, and even on the identical ship from night time to nighttime.
Moreover, many older ships lack the informal eating selection discovered on competitor cruise traces, forcing company into the primary eating room or overpriced specialty eating places once they’d simply desire one thing fast and easy. Of observe, newer ships within the Royal Caribbean fleet do have extra informal, complimentary choices however they nonetheless don’t examine to the likes of Carnival.
3. Increased Worth Level Than Different Mainstream Cruise Traces
Royal Caribbean’s base fares are usually 20-50% increased than comparable itineraries on Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, or MSC Cruises. Whenever you think about the price of drink packages, specialty eating, web, shore excursions, and different extras that many think about important, the whole price can simply double the marketed cruise fare. This value level places a Royal Caribbean cruise trip out of attain for a lot of households.
Even with Royal Caribbean’s improvements and spectacular facilities, many cruisers discover it troublesome to justify the upper pricing, particularly when different traces supply related itineraries and household experiences at considerably decrease prices.
4. A number of Households and Youngsters Onboard
Royal Caribbean’s family-focused environment could not go well with all vacationers. Its status as a superb household cruise line means ships usually have excessive concentrations of kids, significantly throughout college holidays, spring break, and summer season months. Pool decks, eating venues, and all-age leisure areas can turn out to be overrun with youngsters, which may make it difficult for {couples} or adults searching for a extra subtle or romantic environment to seek out quiet areas for leisure.
Whereas Royal Caribbean provides some adults-only areas just like the Solarium, the vast majority of ship facilities cater to all ages. So, these searching for a extra adult-oriented trip expertise may need to look elsewhere.
5. No Ship-Inside-a-Ship Advanced
In contrast to Norwegian’s Haven or MSC’s Yacht Membership, Royal Caribbean provides no true ship-within-a-ship advanced. Whereas suite company obtain some perks and precedence entry, there’s no unique enclave which offers a luxurious expertise throughout the bigger ship.
Which means that even suite company should compete with hundreds of different passengers for eating, leisure, and deck area, lowering the exclusivity that many count on when paying premium costs for luxurious lodging.
Whereas Royal Caribbean’s Quantum, Oasis, and Icon class ships do have a non-public restaurant for suite company, Coastal Kitchen, the cruise line nonetheless doesn’t come near the facilities provided in The Haven or The Yacht Membership.
6. Assorted High quality Throughout Ship Lessons
The Royal Caribbean expertise varies dramatically relying on which ship you select. Older Voyager, Radiance, or Imaginative and prescient class ships can really feel dated in comparison with the latest Icon and Oasis class vessels, with narrower corridors, smaller cabins, fewer eating choices, and fewer onboard facilities. Leisure choices additionally range considerably, with newer ships that includes state-of-the-art theaters and distinctive venues that older ships merely can’t match.
This inconsistency signifies that newcomers have to look intently at ship lessons when reserving a cruise; they shouldn’t assume all Royal Caribbean ships supply related facilities and experiences as a result of that would result in disappointment.
7. No Choice for All-Inclusive Packages
Whereas cruise traces like Movie star, Princess, and Holland America supply complete packages that bundle add-ons like specialty eating, drink packages, WiFi, shore tour credit score, and/or gratuities, Royal Caribbean doesn’t supply any such “all-inclusive” package deal. Friends should pay a la carte for every add-on, making it a bit extra advanced to price range. Additional, it usually leads to increased whole prices than rivals’ all-inclusive choices.
If you’d like the benefit of choosing one complete package deal that covers all of your cruise wants, you’ll need to go for a distinct cruise line or think about a luxurious line that features all these extras within the cruise fare.
8. Alaska Cruises Don’t Go to Glacier Bay
In contrast to Holland America, Princess, or NCL, Royal Caribbean ships don’t have permits to enter Glacier Bay Nationwide Park, considered one of Alaska’s most spectacular locations. As an alternative, Royal Caribbean’s Alaska itineraries substitute different glacial viewing alternatives that, whereas stunning, don’t match the pristine panorama and complete expertise that Glacier Bay offers like park rangers really coming aboard the ship and narrating all through your go to.
For a lot of cruisers, us included, Glacier Bay represents the spotlight of an Alaska cruise expertise, making Royal Caribbean a much less engaging choice for this vacation spot regardless of their wonderful ships and facilities.
9. Latest Elevated Deal with Non-public Locations
Royal Caribbean has more and more emphasised personal locations on its itineraries within the latest years, with much more to come back sooner or later. Whereas Good Day at CocoCay and Labadee are already a part of the cruise line’s portfolio, Good Day Mexico and Lelepa within the South Pacific are each set to debut in 2027. Royal Caribbean can be planning a Royal Seashore Membership assortment with the primary opening this fall in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Whereas these locations supply tons of partaking experiences, some cruisers really feel they detract from genuine cultural immersion and exploration of native communities. The pattern towards personal locations means fewer alternatives to expertise significant journey past resort-style leisure.
Is Royal Caribbean Proper For You?
Royal Caribbean delivers a formidable cruise expertise that pushes the boundaries of what’s doable at sea. Their dedication to innovation, leisure excellence, and family-friendly facilities creates the final word trip for a lot of vacationers.
Nonetheless, the road’s give attention to larger, louder, and dearer can overwhelm these searching for intimate, subtle, or culturally immersive experiences. The dearth of all-inclusive choices and ship-within-a-ship complexes additionally make Royal Caribbean much less fascinating than some rivals.
Whether or not Royal Caribbean aligns together with your trip imaginative and prescient relies upon completely on what you worth most in a cruise.
Royal Caribbean could be excellent for you if:
- You need cutting-edge facilities and sights
- Broadway-caliber leisure is essential to you
- You’re touring as a household or multigenerational group
- You take pleasure in energetic, energetic atmospheres
- You don’t thoughts paying premium costs for premium experiences
- “The larger, the higher” describes your ideally suited cruise ship
You may need to think about one other cruise line if:
- You like intimate, quieter cruise experiences
- Price range is a major concern
- You need really all-inclusive pricing
- You’re planning an Alaska cruise and Glacier Bay is a must-see for you
- You like cultural immersion over resort-style holidays
- You’re searching for an adults-only or adult-focused surroundings
Feedback
Do you agree with our Royal Caribbean execs and cons? What else would you add to this checklist? Drop us an anchor under to share your Royal Caribbean opinions.
The publish Ought to You E book Royal Caribbean? The Full Execs and Cons Breakdown appeared first on EatSleepCruise.com.