Anyone have any suggestions on things to see/do on a Royal Caribbean cruise?

Question

I will have a day in San Juan, Puerto Rico before going to Aruba, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Curacao. I've never been on a cruise before! General cruise tips are welcome, as are suggestions of what to do on the boat and at my destinations.

Answer 1

We did this same cruise on the Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas this past May.  You will love it.

This will be long because I will try to give a good picture of what a cruise is like.  Once you are on ship the staff caters to you, its whatever you want. There is something to do all day every day. When you arrive at the port to check in you (each passenger) will have an on board charge account set up and receive a key card which will serve as your room key, charge card for anything you buy on ship (i.e.,drinks, souvenir, tours, photos, etc) and its also your pass to get on and off ship in each port. When you first board the ship the security personnel will take a photo of you that is included in the magnetic strip on the card. Each time you get off ship you will need this key card and many times also a photo ID (passport or driver's license). This card allows them to keep an accurate track of all passengers entering and/or leaving the ship.

One of the first thing that cruise ships do when all of the passengers are on board is have a mandatory safety drill, ITS CALLED A MUSTER DRILL.

Each day of your cruise you will receive in your cabin a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of everything happening for you on ship. There are generally activities like demonstrations of ice carvings, napkin folding and towel folding, and cooking demonstrations.  There will be organized games and other activities around the pools. In the evenings there are generally shows, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late.  There will be a free ice show that is fantastic so do not miss it. There is always food available. Usually there is a place in ship where you can go get something. Or, you can always just pick up the phone in your cabin and order from the room service menu (food is free).

The ship has a casino with slots and table games.  You can also see movies in your room. They have ATM’s and a purser’s desk where you can cash a check or exchange currency if you need to. There is a tour and activities desk so you can schedule land tours and activities.

There will be free morning exercise programs, stretching and walking, etc, and some other activities that you have to pay for, like Spinning, or Pilates.  The ship has a  gym that is free so you can go workout, usually any time from about 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. There is also a walking/running track on one of the decks also.  They call the gyms Spa because they do promote getting pampered with things like wraps and massages with aroma therapy. They will also generally have a beauty salon to do hair and nails.  All of the spa stuff you must pay for.

There are several pools and hot tubs and one is in a covered area called a Solarium; its for adults only. There are other free activities like roller blading, ice skating, basketball, the rock climbing wall, mini-golf, table tennis, shuffle board on several places.  Then there are places on ships to play cards and board games, and the cards and games are provided. If you want to just sit and read, there’s a library where you can bring your books or select one from the shelf. The ship has an internet cafes and WIFI if you bring your prefer to use your computer in your cabin  There are cocktail lounges that feature a variety of music. Some have a piano bar with jazz. There is usually a disco that starts after 11:00 PM each night and last until everyone leave. On certain days ships will have special activities like a chocolate lovers buffet, or a midnight deck party.

The three most popular things to see in San Juan, besides going to beaches, is the Old city, the forts and the rain forest.  The rain forest is about an hour's drive by bus from the city; you'll need a tour to get there.  Aruba is a place where you do not really need to do a tour.  You can catch a taxi to the beach; there not much sights to see in Aruba.  If you are a shopper then St Thomas is the place for that and also to an extent St Maarten.

Here's some more tips based on the almost 20 cruises I have been on, including all over the Caribbean.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM. So take swim wear, shorts, sandals, beach shoes, your snorkel equipment if you have it, sun glasses and sun screen, lotions, a cap or big hat for the sun, a book if you are a reader, your music player, sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym, good walking shoes, your camera, and other personal toiletries.

Your cabin will have towels and soap provided, including pool and beach towels. It will also have a generic hair shampoo so you do not need to bring that unless you like a specific brand. They do not provide tooth paste, mouth wash or lotions. They DO provide a hair dryer.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc.

The cruise will have two formal night when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. But most people do dress up in a tux for men and a long dress (any color) for women.  Some men just wear a suit and tie and some women wear a nice dress but not a gown. You will not be denied access to the dining room or anything else if you choose not to dress up.

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage. Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and your clothes that you sleep in.

- Join the cruise club so that the cruise line will send you their specials and so that you can get discounts on future cruises with them. The discount will typically be $50 to $100 per person. If you will be celebrating a honeymoon, anniversary, or birthday during the cruise, be sure to tell them, they will do special stuff for that.

- Cruise lines charge a lot (about $15 to $25 per photo) for the photos they take so take your own photos around the ship when you get the chance, especially on the formal nights. Take your own camera and ask other passengers to take photos for you, they generally are very willing.

- The cruise lines do not allow you to bring alcoholic beverage on board, EXCEPT some do let you bring a bottle or two of wine or champaign by each person age 21 or older  FOR YOUR CABIN.

- If you can take a six-pack of bottled water and soft drinks in your carry-on for your cabin. You will have to pay for both on the ship and its nice to have those handy in the cabin.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugged in take an extension cord as the plugs in the cabin are generally not in the best places and there are usually only one or two.

- Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer. There are generally sanitizer dispensers at the entrances of restaurants, the buffets and dining room, but some times the are not there or not working. The sanitizer helps prevent the spread of the Norwalk Virus that sometimes occur on cruise ships.

Answer 2

I went on that cruise in April!!! You will LOVE that cruise!.. I was in PR for 3 days before we left, and I didn't want to leave! Be sure to explore PR as much as you can before you have to leave, it is truley amazing. Be sure to go through all of downtown olde san juan. I hope you have a suite with a balcony, every morning you wake up and look out and your in a new place, that looks completely different. In Aruba, I can't remember the name of the beach that I went to, but it was just okay.. I did an excersion there that day.. If you like snorkling sign up for it (you sign up for the excursions on the top deck, near the swimming area).. A catamaran took us over a coral reef, and then over a sunken ship.. CREEPY!.. but really neat! Curacao waas by far my favorite island.. the water there is just AMAZING.. the absolute brightest blue water you will ever see. Again, I don't know the name of the beach I went to, but it is near the adventure center (just tell a cab driver to take you near the beach near the adventure center..where they have sharks).. and your cab driver will know right where to take you. I actually swam with sharks there :-)... not for the faint of heart! lol my boyfriend wanted me to do it with him. In St. Maarten, it's beautiful there as well, MANY beaches to choose from, just hop in a cab and say "take me to the best beach" and they do just that!... However, on St. Maarten the natives are rather annoying... While I was trying to relax on the beach I have MANY people come up to me trying to sell me stuff!.. I felt like I was in NYC! I was actually getting very irritatied. And ahhh St. Thomas... I went to Magens Bay first... This beach is very quite with very calm water.. I actually didn't enjoy this beach very much.. it's rated one of the top 10 beaches in the world, but I was that impressed. A beach that you absolutely HAVE to go to is Sapphire beach. AMAZING water! I was just amazed when I saw this beach, I mean jaw droping beauty. And you HAVE to go snorkling at this beach... there is a lot of coral, and even sea turtles swimming in that water (if you go out deep enough). I hope I helped out.. sorry If I wrote too much, but it was just an amazing cruise! Have fun! I never even got to what you could do on the boat, but there is plenty there as well!..... oh, and go buy jewlery in St. Maarten! The guys bargain with you!.. and diamonds are dirt cheap.. And..NO SALES TAX!... Oh you will have a wonderful time!

Answer 3

Go to CruiseCritic.com, "Boards" and you will find more tips than you could possibly use!!  You should check out "Ports of Call" and the "Roll Call" for your particular sailing, just for starters.

If you like to snorkel, the Jolly Pirates trip in Aruba is a lot of fun!

Have a great time!