Never trust your final bill. I suggest you double check this every day!

@m.m.4645

28 күн бұрын

Yes, check and double-check!

Never trust the future cruise planners to know what is in the cabin. We booked Wonder of the Seas while on a cruise. We told the future cruise planner the cabin must have a sofa or love seat. We'll when we arrived for our seven night cruise, there was a chair in the cabin. We did not unpack. Went to guest services, and after several minutes and talking to the hotel manager, we were given a key to a different cabin to check out. This cabin was in a good spot and had a sofa. Thanks to guestservices.

Matt, impossible! You suggested that people "just be reasonable. " Just glance around and then try to say that with a straight face.😂

"Never trust online reviews of cruises"--so VERY TRUE! "Only 1.4% out of 1000 people actually post a review and usually it is an extreme..." is also VERY TRUE! I love all these tips, but THIS one is really helpful! I hope a TON of first time cruisers watches this video! Thanks for your great content.

@keith6400

8 күн бұрын

This would be 14 people doing a review out of 1000. Presumably the percentage remains the same on 10,000 or 100 people it is only the number of people which changes.

No air conditioning at The Great Wall of China?!?!?! Totally canceling my trip now Matt! Thanks for the headsup! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

It’s best to book your return flight home no earlier than 2 pm if you plan on flying home the same day.

Remember the two rules of cruising... 1) Don't sweat the little stuff. 2) It's ALL little stuff.

I took a cruise with just me and my then 5yo soon after the restart (very good casino deal) from Galveston. At the old terminal I always parked across the street in a no shuttle lot and just hauled the bags but with just me and the 5yo it was too much. Previous cruise was delayed getting back and it was just nuts trying to drop our bags off before parking. Took about an hour for about a mile of driving and drop off. To this day my son (now 7) tells his brothers that we need to “pack our patience” anytime we’re stuck in traffic. 😂

@melizam8069

24 күн бұрын

Pack our patience ❤

Bring comfortable walking shoes. You will do a fair amount of walking either around the ship or getting to the excursions. Save fashionable for dinner....comfortable during the day. I also advise that people stay away from buffet's in general - I remember seeing a kid grabbing fries from the line to his plate - ick! Also as he confirmed to be certain about the time you will return. Since we went to Mexico, we had to clear customs - and that took time. I messed up on our return date and had to notify my pet sitter that I had done so she would be prepared for one more day's worth of visits.

On my first cruise ever. I traveled on the same day. Didn't think much about it. The weather was in the 60s the day before. No clouds in the sky, and even the weather channel said it was going to be perfect day. Then, when I woke up. An inch of ice on everything! Flights were cancelled and rebooked and it was Chaos. They rebooked me to get to my cruise hours after it left. Luckily I kindly begged the airlines to help me get to it. And they helped me. Got to my cruise an hour before it set sail. Not doing that anymore XD

@soups_life

16 күн бұрын

omg whwn i went on my first cruise my dad made us late and we missed our flight but thank god we had a day buffer inbetween so we were able to rebook and then we ended up flying in on the same day as the sailing 😅

Also, ports of call could change while cruising. Rough seas/weather, etc.

Matt Hochberg is the ONLY absolutely reliable source of RCI cruise info I trust. (His wife may question that). ha! Thank you Matt!!!

I love it!! BE FLEXIBLE! Stay positive even if things don’t go as you hoped.. you are still on vacation on a ship.. there are many people that can only DREAM of going on a cruise! Relax and enjoy!!!

Good advice to travel at least one day before you are to sail.

I always fly in 3 days early, rent a car and explore the local area and be ready to get to my ship early

@katesmith-thompson5500

28 күн бұрын

Don't always have 3 days to do this but ALWAYS come in the day before, especially in winter when we have to deal with Midwestern weather.

We went on Harmony in Nov 2023 and when first boarding our room seemed very warm. I thought it was simply because they had just repositioned to Galveston and so the A/C just needed to get going. But when we walked the corridor all the way to the front of the ship it was MUCH cooler in the corridor than in the corridor by our room. So I called maintenance and when we returned to our room it was now very cool and comfortable. Royal Caribbean wants you to have a 5 star time and I have never had a bad experience on RC!

All of your comments were on point and correct. When going on the cruise it is important to be flexible with your time and to expect delays and changes. Stuff happens, make the best of it.

All good points! I do think using cruise reviews to look for trends are a powerful tool relative to quality and cruise expectation. I always write a cruise review and give a fair assessment of the experience. Another thing not to assume is that the ship (guest services) will have a record of all the things you think you purchased (drink packages, wifi package, dinning packages, prepaid gratuity, on-board credit, etc.) when booking the cruise. Be sure you have a copy of your cruise booking, cruise contract, and copies of receipt for any perks, activities, or excursions you purchased to help resolve any issues. Take care...

If you take a Caribbean cruise, leave your camouflage clothing at home. It is illegal to wear it on many of the islands. You can be arrested and / or restricted to the ship. If you don't have it with you, you can't make a mistake. (Yes, you can wear it on the ship.)

@wannabetrucker7475

25 күн бұрын

😂😂😂 camo clothing is common cruise attire??😂😂😂.. good to know.

@jacquelyns9709

25 күн бұрын

@@wannabetrucker7475 Camo isn't real common in my experience. Some people do wear it.

@sandraskibo3171

24 күн бұрын

Good advice. Travelers should read up on the customs of ports/countries they visit. Just a suggestion.

Yes we check everything on the cabin and even clean the cabin with disinfectant wipes.

1. The time the cruise ends... 2. Everything in cabin works. 3. Shore excursions will be on time 4. Trust online cruise reviews.. 5. Travel plans to get to your cruise ship..never fly on day of cruise 6. Everything will go as planned.. be flexible.

Show up to que far earlier than the recommended time for shows, disembarking, and activities. Don't trust that other passengers washed their hands before touching things in the Windjammer.

@m.m.4645

28 күн бұрын

Ugh, yes 🤮

@sharonh5399

27 күн бұрын

Any hand sanitizer in the buffet?

@m.m.4645

27 күн бұрын

​@@sharonh5399yes, but if people just walk by..... 🫣

I’ve never sailed with Royal Caribbean. This is great advice for any cruise line!

4. Reviews…I was living in China in 2018, went on Quantum out of Shanghai,for the first time and read reviews. The very first one I read said “stay off of this ship! It’s full of Chinese!”. Some Americans simply should never travel 😃. It was a fantastic cruise, I strongly recommend cruises like that from foreign ports.

@philiprice7875

21 күн бұрын

yea a review from an amercian after going on a Costa ship states all of the crew and announcements was in Italian

On excursions, always carry your passport in a secure inside pocket. A car crash, medical incident or other things may delay a return to the ship. Reputable international excursion companies guarantee a timely return to the ship. Their backup is to provide/cover the cost of accommodation, meals and flights to the next port. If there is a chance of missing the all-on-board time, contact the Port Agent. Depending on circumstances, a ship may stay in port longer.

@sandraskibo3171

24 күн бұрын

Good point. We also make copies of our docs .

@beckysutherland2065

15 күн бұрын

The cruise lines all say you should leave your passport in the safe. You can take pictures of all of your documents.

I've been on the Cruise known as 70,000 Tons Of Metal. It is on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Since, there are 3 days of Pre- Cruise Parties, I arrived 3 days ahead of time. It works out better, that way.

I live in Florida. Tampa port, Cape Canaveral, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale ports are all within 3 hour drive for me. However, I still book hotel for the day before to be sure I am on time.

@manfriendlychurch

24 күн бұрын

I live just outside London, 3 hours from Southampton. Like you, when cruising from Southampton I go down the night before.

I went on a cruise in September '22 with Royal. I had a very good time but there were a few hiccups. One was that the exterior light for my balcony didn't work, but I told them and they fixed it very quickly. Another thing was that because Florida was getting slammed with a hurricane, when we went to Cocoa Cay, it was kind of windy and the balloon was grounded (I didn't have a ticket for the balloon anyway). Also because the internet was based in Florida, our internet was spotty. Lastly what happened was they told us that there was a cargo ship that needed to off load 8 in the morning the day we got back; so we all had to get off the boat very early in the morning. Lastly (and this is my own fault) my smartwatch was fine when I was in the chlorinated pools, but the moment it had touched salt water, it freaked out and died on me. I ordered a new watch and had it send to me by the time I got back home.

Thank You great advice!!

Love your blogs. A lot of useful information.

@RoyalCaribbeanBlog

28 күн бұрын

Thanks so much!

Thanks for the great information Matt, I always learn something new from your videos.

Very helpful, loved this!

If your cruise ship is leaving from another country such as America or other countries other than your own country ,fly in a few days before the cruise and stay in a local hotel near your cruise port and make sure that you have plenty of time to get to the cruise port and get on board early .

Interesting and thought-provoking.

7:46 Last year I went on a cruise and drove the same day. It was a 6 hr drive but we made it. Left before peak traffic and worked out

Thanks for the reminders. Love to cruise, love the reviews. Bring your patience and be flexible. Good thing about excursions through ship they will always wait for you. Sometimes they too are late back bringing new onboard entertainers, musicians etc. Dont hate in non scheduled changes irs not too punish you.

Book your Seattle airport 1pm or after after your cruise

Great information again Matt just got to stay calm and relax we know how much cruise prices are but if you explain your situation it always resolved

I'm not a big fan of RC, but I do like the things you have discussed on this blog and a previous one. Your points are good no matter what cruise line one chooses.

Never trust that your luggage will arrive in a timely manner. Pack any absolutely needed items in your carry on such as medications, electronics, a change of clothes/sleeping clothes, etc. While they are usually pretty good at getting your luggage to you in the late afternoon to early evening, it is not inconceivable that it may arrive later into the night or the next day, Especially on he larger ships.e

Going on our fifth cruise this August. First time to Alaska on quantum. This was one of my favorite videos of yours. Very informative.

@cherylrucinski1386

28 күн бұрын

Just got back from Quantum, it was great.

JUST WENT ON A CRUISE , DON'T OVER PLAN EVERYTHING LIKE WE DID.. WE WERE SO WORE OUT AND SO VERY BUSY

Taking our cruise in 3 wks on Rhapsody of the Seas. First time on Royal. Hope we're not disappointed.

@franceslopez8242

28 күн бұрын

From Puerto Rico?? Have fun! It’s a smaller ship but is beautiful!

Make sure the toilet (flushing) is working as well. My last cruise, the ship just came out of dry dock after renovation. Toilet didn't flush. My catameran experience by Celebrity was right up to the limit. We were late by 45 mins but the ship waited for us at Maui.

I’m on icon this Saturday.

I love watching Royal Caribbean blog before my cruise even this time I'm not going with Royal Caribbean 😭✋

Thank you for your tips and tricks on Royal Caribbean! The only one I would add is: Dont trust yourself and your normal vacation fatigue level. Cruising is a lot of vacay (walking, new food, different countries) crammed into one trip. When you disembark, you may be more fatigued than you expected. So let them take your bag the night before. Have coffee and breakfast before disembarkation. Take the shuttle. Hire the Porter. If you are driving to the port, park in the closest parking lot. Do everything you can to ease your transition from Cruise Life back to Real Life! 💚

Great video ❤❤❤❤

Speaking of cruise return times. My husband and I intentionally did self-dismarking because we wanted to be able to make it on time for our flight. It turns out we could have done regular disembarkment and still have made it to our flight on time.... Definitely a lesson learned for us.

Flexibility is everything

Never trust the toiletries in the shower. For some reason Royal Caribbean don't include conditioner. Always take a bottle of conditioner with you to go with the supplied shampoo .

@kathybrem880

20 күн бұрын

I’m bringing my own shampoo next time-I didn’t like theirs!

My family and I just came back from a 7 night cruise on the Grandeur of the Seas and we had a great time. Impressed on how this older vessel is holding up. We didn't mind it was smaller than the others because everything is just closer. The wait staff, bartenders, and state room staff is just fantastic. The only the downside for us was the food. Coming from only cruising with Disney, the food on RC is mediocre at best. So bland in fact, we had to confirm with the waiters we didn't have any nutrition restrictions. The portion size were also very small, which is ok because you can order more, the food at Windjammer was even more disappointing, and at times gross (especially breakfast). The onboard entertainment was great, the Cool Band, and the reggea were awsome. The ports of call were great too, just be careful that some of the locals hussle hard, so do your homework beforehand.

@sandraskibo3171

24 күн бұрын

Ditto on windjammer food I've sailed on The Grandeur often. Please someone- tell them not to cook the bacon into rawhide strips or serve still oinking!!!!

You can never trust reviews. Most people don't write a review unless they are unhappy for some reason.

We only book excursions thru the cruise ship!!

I’ve been on 7 cruises with #8 in September and I’ve never had one glitch at all! Maybe due to being prepared

Icon of the Seas sails into port channel around 2 AM. She has to have an empty port so she has enough room to make the spin at the turn around.

All good guidance. However, one thing to make sure you do is to advise your waiter or head waiter of any allergies you or your mates might have. If you do so you will usually get the next evenings supper menu and a special meal can be prepared as needed. In my case I had the crab cake appetizer; well, boom, I had an allergic reaction, which was caused by fish filler in the "crab" cake. I can eat shell fish but not fish fish. Always ask!

DO NOT BE UPSET of your room is by the elevator, and you hear people coming and going. It's busy, you're on a cruise with tons of people & you're by the elevator. It's a no-brainer.

5. Especially Galveston…there is really only one bridge on/off the island. If you fly in the same day as departure and there a wreck (or a squirrel) on the bridge you will watch the ship sail away

A big thing you missed that a lot of people don't realize is do not trust the itinerary. If you read your cruise contract, you will find that they do not guarantee that you will go to any of the ports on the schedule. although Royal Caribbean has usually been really great to us when these things have happened, don't count on it because the cruise contract says they don't need to. We have had ports skipped, docking times changed, ports rearranged, and disembarking at the wrong port due to a storm. We were supposed to arrive in Tampa but due to a massive storm in the Gulf had to redirect to Port Canaveral. It was really impressive how they bussed 2000 people Cocoa Beach to Orlando and Tampa but people who thought they could make a 10:00 AM flight didn't. I don't know how the next cruise was affected.

I'm taking the risk with the flight in. I dropped money on a hotel last time and it was absolutely pointless.

I agree with not trusting reviews. I read good as well as the unfavorable reviews and try to listen to the real voice behind it, like entitled or sales or poor planning.

The thumbnail suggests I should not trust the walkway to get onto the ship…

Never ever do we listen to other peoples reviews we trust our own review, is it always good or excellent of course not BUT if we have a issue we deal with it at that time and to-date its always sorted out :)

🚢 crucero de exito Royal Carribean presente en una merecidas vacaciones excelencia

Very true about reviews. Check out the reviews of the Grand Canyon.

Never trust that you may never get sick on your cruise. Remember there are thousand of people onboard. Sadly, not everyone have a good hygiene habits. Consider yourself lucky if you do not get sick while onboard or after the cruise.

" Well then, cookingyo..." 🤣

great wall of china reviews read trip advisors review of ben nevis in the UK

Not really a cruise line issue as much as it is an airline issue but, never trust that the airline will not loose your luggage or that arriving the night before will be enough. Make plans to be able to assume you will have to go shopping for everything the morning before you depart.

@beckysutherland2065

15 күн бұрын

I never check a bag or use the porters for my stuff. I carry it on the airplane and carry it on and off of the ship.

We found out on our Harmony of the Seas cruise that if there's an issue with the safe you need to call security not your room Steward or maintenance.

@paulready8897

28 күн бұрын

I would think your cabin steward would contact security. If not I would called guest services and told them. Also I would have been talking to a housekeeping manager.

@m.m.4645

28 күн бұрын

That is how we had our issue with the safe handled

I favor RCL and Matt's videos give me tons of information I need. Matt, I would love a better walk through or review of CocoCay so I can decide what aspects I want to visit. Thanks Matt

@RoyalCaribbeanBlog

28 күн бұрын

Have you seen the walkthrough video we posted earlier this year?

@dennisdiede

28 күн бұрын

@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Nope. Please share

I think this is fantastic advice especially when you mentioned an accident on the highway. I live in Bradford, England and was taking a trip across to Manchester. Although the ‘other side’ of Manchester. I should be able to hit Manchester on the motorway in about 30 minutes, I should’ve been in the car park and fully parked up where I was going within 50 minutes for definite. Somebody decided to flip their car upside down in the central reservation and although it had been left there with police tape all over and all emergency services had long gone with the occupants, caused the tailback and it took me almost 2 hours to get from my house, to the car park in Manchester. I did get to see the concert I was going to, because promises of the artist going on early and the doors are opening early were pretty much lies (did go on a little bit early, but not by much and for the actual doors opening, they opened later than usual!) but I had no chance to have a meal or do any other things that I had planned before the concert. The concert wasn’t missed, as I say I managed to attend it perfectly fine, especially with how late the doors opened, in some way with that I was lucky because at least it meant I could grab a McDonald’s and not be hungry. But imagine if that was icon of the seas- you’ve paid thousands to be on and a trip that every single time you do it is easy and quick, but for once someone just happened to flipped their car being an idiot! That’s your £10,000 Plus down the drain! To me, you’re better staying near the port overnight or getting a flight that gets you in hours early, because getting you there just on time, may not be on time at all, all down to somebody else’s actions or poor choices!!

Almost all his points apply to most cruise lines. There are some differences, and things do change. Always check out your cruise line's website completely. Read everything, including the FAQs. Pay attention to the prohibited items list. Read your contract carefully and completely. If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, pay attention to limits on when you can cruise and how old a baby must be to go on a cruise. Don't try to bypass these restrictions. You can put your or your baby's life at risk.

Don’t book a cruise solely based on a single port of call. There are many reasons that port call could be canceled - weather, dock strike, civil unrest - so you don’t want to be disappointed.

UP NEXT!!!!

Applies to ALL lines.

We fly in the day before

Our shower was blocked. They were quick to come and fix it, but you should have seen how much hair they pulled out of the drain!!

i am planning a one way cruise between boston and montreal or the other way. how long do they need to clear customs?

I never look at reviews for cruises. A horrible day at sea is still better than a great day on land!

5:13 We should not trust cruise ships reviews. But you have done some of that kind of work, haven't you, Matt? Just kidding, keep up the good work.

How do I know if the previous guest tampered with the contents of the shared shower shampoo, conditioner, or body wash? Bulk liquids are a very bad idea. I am surprised that a cruise line is willing to risk their reputation on a bad news story to save a few dollars.

Something I never trust on a cruise are my flatulence, sometimes they come with a price.

RCL- ports in Europe that require tender boats? What is the process of securing a tender ticket to allow you to get off the ship quick?

@MB-uy5kh

28 күн бұрын

Just returned from Greek Islands cruise on Explorer of the Seas. Santorini is a tender port. For people going on a ship excursion, their excursion ticket was their tender ticket and had first priority at the time on ticket to meet to go on tender. For others, tender tickets were distributed by the restaurant, first come first serve, early that morning. Numbers were called when it was your time to exit ship. Worked okay for us.

@twylaeivens332

28 күн бұрын

Thank you. Very helpful

Never trust the weather.

Never trust KZreadrs. Verify everything.

I don’t listen to reviews because what I like you might not like so I don’t listen for that very reason

Check your folio again and again.

Weird putting the lifeguard as the first picture.

#7 *Never trust that the person in front of you at the buffet using the serving utensil has WASHED THEIR HANDS* Some people are down-right DISGUSTING And, "If all the chairs at the pool are taken up" 8:43 .... I will just sit in one anyway if I'm not planning on staying that long, because chances are that person won't be back for awhile.... when they do come back, I simply move when asked, but rarely they come back within 30-45 minutes

@m.m.4645

28 күн бұрын

Yes, some people are pigs 🤮

You have time for the TV?

@julieb7882

28 күн бұрын

Ours is sometimes on while getting ready or changing gears.

first going on allure of the seas inasugest 30th yay imfirst comment

So many reviews are ridiculous!

Love your channel. Great information. I would love it better if I could understand you. You talk too fast and mumble. I have to replay sections in attempt to understand what you are trying to say. Please slowdown, enunciate and speak clearer.

@nicc8230

28 күн бұрын

And/or you chould use closed captions...and change the video speed.

@jacquelyns9709

28 күн бұрын

For me, Matt doesn't speak too quickly, and I don't have any problems understanding him. I don't think he mumbles.

Can we spell CONDESCENDING?

@kathybrem880

20 күн бұрын

I don’t know, can you?

19 secs ago

Slow down

"People are not rational when they write reviews"?? Nice try. Always read some of the best and many of the WORST reviews: the key is to spot a pattern. Also, avoid Celebrity Cruises. The AC was not working in our room; my cousin stayed in to sleep there but i waited in the lobby all night, for the main desk to open at 7am. AND i was treated with downright hostility once they did open. Before my cousin came down, they downright refused to believe me. Said the room attendant had checked the AC and it was fine. You think i spent a sleepless night in your lobby for FUN? Once the cousin confirmed that it was rather hot, we were given one choice: PAY FOR ANOTHER ROOM. Period. So i paid, and yeah, the AC there was fine. No apology or anything. This happened in 2017 and i still write about it every chance i get. I wrote about it when Celebrity sent the automated review request. I never heard anything back. They absolutely don't care about your experience or the quality of their ships. This is NEVER a good sign.

Never trust a fart.