Do you use the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner? I’m the queen of worrying so when embarkation day finally arrives I want to grab a cocktail and find a great spot for sail-away. I want to start my vacation! I don’t want to stand in line and read about the various drink packages and dining packages.
Please note that this post has been updated. You can find the new information here.
Welcome to the first post in the Countdown to Cruise series. I’ll share with you my tips to effectively using the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner.
I use the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner to pre-book and pre-pay for everything I can because I HATE coming back to a large credit card bill. And, I hate to stress about it when I could be relaxing. Oh, I also want to save a little money!
Anyone who has been on a cruise knows that as soon as you board there are information tables where you can purchase a drink package, a dining package….a spa package and more! Well, did you know that you can take care of all of that before you board? Enter the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner.
Here are my tips for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner
Book entertainment and dining as soon as possible. Entertainment is typically included in your cruise fare but on the largest ships, you are required to make reservations. If you selected my-time dining you will want to select your preferred time as the most popular times book up fast.
Pre-Cruise Sales in the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner!
Roughly 4-5 weeks before your cruise, you will get an email from Royal Caribbean urging you to check out the sale prices in your cruise planner. But, you can access the cruise planner well before this time and check for sales.
I personally like to space out my purchases. For example, we are sailing in March. That means that our final cruise payment was due in early December. I get that paid off (and recovered from Christmas) then start looking for deals in January. Our largest expense is usually our drink package.
Now, being honest, I don’t necessarily save money buying the drink package. But, we usually have a decent amount of onboard credit and, with the sale price, it’s a wash. And, again, I can pre-pay it, saving me from the sticker shock at the end of the cruise. I’ll write a full post covering the drink package soon. So be sure and subscribe if you haven’t already.
update for 2019: Should you purchase the Royal Caribbean Deluxe Beverage package?
Do You Have Onboard Credit?
If you receive onboard credit from Royal Caribbean as part of your cruise purchase, it will be in your Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner almost immediately. However, we also utilize the Royal Caribbean Visa and redeem points before each cruise for the onboard credit. This credit now appears in the cruise planner (YAY!) but only about 14-30 days out from your sail date. As you can see in the image below, your onboard credit shows at the top of the page near the cart. If you have credit, it will ask you if you would like to utilize it towards any item you add to your cart.
Because I’m so eager to plan, by the time this credit hits our planner, I have already booked our entertainment (no additional fee) and purchased our drink packages. I use this Visa credit to book a specialty dining package and our internet package. My husband needs to be accessible because he’s a business owner, and I need to keep all of you updated!
You can also pre-book excursions, purchase photo packages, trips to the spa, etc. You can plan almost anything in Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner…except reserve pool deck chairs. Darn it!
Heads Up – You will need to “check-out” and pay for these purchases. Making purchases in the Cruise Planner does not go onto your onboard account for you to pay at the end of your cruise. You will get an email confirmation of your purchase. You can print that email and take it with you or print out your purchase history and take it with you…just in case.
Have a Question about the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner?
If something is unclear you can always call or email Royal Caribbean to get clarification. I’m not a phone fan but over the years I’ve submitted several emails looking for clarification. In fact, I just emailed them this week looking for clarification on a particular internet package.
Here is an example question that is a bit of a hot topic. Recently, Royal Caribbean changed its policy on the alcohol package. They now specify that if one adult in a stateroom purchase the alcohol drink packages all adults over 21 in the same stateroom must also purchase the package. (Don’t be mad at Royal Caribbean, the other cruise lines already had this rule).
So, if your spouse drinks but you don’t, contact Royal Caribbean and ask them if there are exceptions to this new rule. By the way, yes, there are many. Don’t be afraid to ask a question.
You can also ask me! Connect with me on Facebook or Instagram.
Do You Have a Special Need or Request?
Staying on the topic of contacting Royal Caribbean. I want to quickly share a tip I learned from listening to Matt on the RoyalCaribbeanblog podcast. Thanks, Matt!
If you have a special need during your cruise. If you have a health issue or severe allergy, send a note to Royal Caribbean. For example, if you utilize a breathing machine and let Royal Caribbean know, they will provide you with an extension cord and distilled water at no charge.
Email special_needs@rccl.com – include your reservation number, cabin number, ship name sailing dates and, of course, your need. You will receive an automated response and then a complete response within 2 days (in my experience). If your special need is in regards to a food allergy be sure and discuss it with the dining staff as well.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner – My Calendar
Once you’ve finished planning you can view My Calendar. This is a great way to double check the plans you made in the Cruise Planner. You can modify your selections in My Calendar. Your port times are also listed here which I think is very handy.
Have a question about the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner?
Comment below or join our community on your favorite social. I would love to help. Be sure to check out my other cruise related posts here.
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I just booked a cruise for my son and his family for January 9, 2022. When I went online I cannot find any shows available. Does this mean they are all taking up? I wish I would have know this, because I would have spent all that money on their cruise, not being able to see a show.
Hi Cheryl. I assume you booked one of the Oasis-class ships with the amazing shows? Let me know! Yes, there will be shows. They just aren’t available for reservations pre-cruise right now. I am hoping that it gets closer to the cruise things will start becoming available pre-cruise again. Baby steps to getting back to all of the fun things we love. Keep me posted and I hope you will invite them to join my Facebook group.
I use cruiseplanner a lot. So does the misses ..’. Do you know if I can book something (spa stuff. eg. ) without having it visible in the cruiseplanner afterwards? #surprises
Hi Walt,
It’s so sweet that you want to surprise your wife! I am unaware of a way that you could hide it in the planner. Typically spa services don’t sell out so you may want to book onboard and give her a special card or something. 🙂 Jill
Where in the cruise planner can you see if you have early, late, or my time dining? As well as the bed preferences (king or 2 twins)? I feel like the cruise planner has changed.. and not for the better 🙁
Hi Brittany,
Yes, it has changed a bit. It’s on my to-do list to update this post. Dining preference, if you selected early or late, is set at the time of booking. If you booked through a travel agent, they can change that if you’d like to switch or you can call RC. Only “my-time” dining and specialty dining can be reserved within the planner.
Bedding preference is the same way and is typically set during your time of booking. However, I will say that some times when we get to our room, it’s the opposite. The room steward is always willing to switch this for you. It’s never an issue.
They appear to be making regular changes to not only the cruise planner but the online check-in and Crown & Anchor Society section. I love Royal Caribbean…but their site is known for being a little cranky.
Thanks for reading! Jillian
Hi Jillian,
My family and I have booked a cruise for November from Sydney Australia. On the top of our cruise planner it states that we are unable to add anything to our cart due to payment not being paid. We have paid our deposit for the trip. Do you know if you have to have paid in full before these services become available because we were planning on paying the trip off over the course of the next few months
Thank you and kind regards
Alanna
Hi Alanna, Are you trying to make purchases such as dining or excursions or are you trying to book entertainment? In my experience, within the cruise planner, you can “purchase” items well in advance of your cruise without having made your final cruise payment. However, if you are on an Oasis Class or Quantum Class ship and you are trying to reserve/schedule shows, etc. those usually become available closer to 90-120 days prior to sailing.
The message at the top regarding payment is odd to me though. Did you book directly with the cruise line or through a travel agent? Also, do you live in Australia or just sailing from Australia? Sorry for all of the follow-up questions but we will get it figured out! – Jillian
On the cruise planner how do you watch for price changes on cruise and other items like drink package?
Thanks
Tammy
Hi Tammy! That is a great question. If you are signed up for their email notifications you will likely get an email whenever they have a “sale”. However, most of the time it’s a lot of marketing speak. The drink package can be especially confusing. I have seen it listed at $47 per day, then the next day a banner will appear that it’s 25% off…yet, still somehow $47 per day. They also like to say, buy one get one-half off…which really equates to 25% off each.
I typically buy the drink package whenever I feel like I’m getting a decent price and I make a note of the cost per day. Not the sale percentage. Then, I check back regularly to see the posted price. Again, ignore the percentage, just focus on the day rate. If you notice it at a lower price, buy it again and then cancel your previous purchase.
Excursions aren’t usually as confusing but I have the same process. I make note of the actual price, ignoring the sale percentage.
I hope that helps. Please reach out if you have any other questions and thank you so much for reading my blog. – Jill
I am so glad to have stumbled on your page! Already found great info for my friend who is traveling with a breathing device. Had no idea they would provide the distilled water for her. How do you sign up for their email alerts?
Hi Susan, I’m so glad that you stumbled upon my site as well. I hope you will consider subscribing.
If your friend would like to email special_needs@rccl.com that will do the trick. She will need to tell them her need, her sailing dates, ship, and cabin number. When she arrives in her cabin/stateroom, she should mention to her room steward that she put in the request. They will get it all set up likely while she is at dinner.
Hi! We are sailing next Jan 6th (84 days away!!) and we still can’t book any entertainment or activities!! We will be on the Oasis of the Seas.
Do you know when we will able to do so?
Thanks and greetings from Chile!
Hi Claudio! Typically activities hit the cruise planner around 90 days out. RC is a little known for not being 100% reliable to those timelines though. Try logging out and logging in using a different web browser if possible. Sometimes that works! If not give it a week or so then feel free to email RC direct using the link at the bottom of their web page. Let me know if you have any other questions and thanks for reading. – Jill
Oh no! I hope you weren’t one of the ones who got sick! A girlfriend and I sailed at that same time, but we were on Enchantment. Heard the passengers got a pretty “good deal” for being inconvenienced, so hope that was really the case for you. And greetings from Merritt Island…15 minutes from Port Canaveral! 🙂
We are going on the Allure in July 2019, how do I book the DreamWorks character breakfast
Hi Melissa, The character breakfast will be available in the Entertainment & Activities tab of the cruise planner. That will be available closer to your sailing. I usually book our dining about 90 days out. However, I find that RC doesn’t follow a strict schedule regarding their cruise planner. You may want to start looking about 120 days out. Thank you for reading my post! I hope you and your family have a great time! I just posted about the Allure this week if you’d like to check it out.
My cruise is 7 months away, I can book all my shore excursions and drink packages, but none of the Entertainment & Activities are available to reserve this far in advance. When do those usually become available ?
Hi Jeff, I am in the same situation. I will be on the Allure in March 2019 and Entertainment is not available to reserve yet. Which ship are you sailing? (Not all ships offer entertainment pre-booking.) The cruise planner has a bit of a mind of its own regarding timing. Keep in mind that they are a business so it’s in their best interest to sell you things as early as possible. The entertainment is typically included so there isn’t as much pressure on them to release it as early. At 7 months out, I would just check back every few weeks and it will magically become available. 😉 Don’t worry! You are ahead of the game and will be in great shape.
I usually check for reservation opportunities about 90 days out. Thank you for reading my post. If you go to the printable section, you can create a cruise schedule to use on board.
My cruise planner and calendar show just fine on my computer but I am unable to print it. What can I do? I also thought of using my tablet to show it but that won’t work. As I have already said, what can I do?
Hi Jeff, thanks for reaching out. I am a Royal Caribbean fan but I admit that their site is far from perfect. I was able to print our calendar but it didn’t print out as I saw it on the screen. It printed oddly with an ad in the middle. This is one of the reasons I created my own customizable schedule. It requires that you enter the information again but it prints well! It’s available in the Travel Printable section of this site.
Alternatively, you can try a screenshot of the calendar and then print or you can use the RC mobile app. When we sailed on the Allure in March the app worked fairly well. The entire cruise planner should be accessible on your tablet when you are logged in and have internet. Good luck. I understand that it can be frustrating.
Where do I find the entertainment programs and reservation page?
Hi Debra! Along the top of the web page for the cruise planner, you should see a link that has Entertainment & Activities.
Hi, can I chek out cart for many times? I want to reserve entertainment now, but I don’t want tu pay for the drink yet. Thank you!!
Absolutely! Go ahead and reserve the entertainment. You can go back and make purchases.
How do I obtain a non-alcoholic drink menu before the cruise? I was never offered one during my last cruise. Thanks
Cynthia, thank you for reading my post. Here is a link to the beverage packages offered on Royal Caribbean cruises – https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/beverage-packages
However, I understand that this doesn’t answer your specific question regarding a menu. In my experience, Royal Caribbean is pretty general about their brand offerings, especially in the liquor category. They instead note “top shelf” or items up to a $13 value, etc. You will find that different venues on board specialize in different drinks as well so they each have a slightly varied menu.
Regarding non-alcoholic beverages, I know that they carry the Coca-Cola brand soft drink line. If you would like specialty coffees, non-alcoholic cocktails, etc. you would need to purchase the Refreshment Package or pay a la carte.
I think there website is HORRIBLE!!! I’ve wasted more time and energy and it has even soured me on wanting to go on the cruise. I’m going to call that web assist tomorrow. I am soooo burnt out on this.
Janet, I certainly understand your opinion. I have had my share of frustration at times as well. Oddly enough, for me, it seems to be during the cruise search. I know that they are in the process of “updates” so we will see what happens. In general, I believe the online check-in and cruise planner areas have gotten better. If you are looking to research or book a cruise, I highly recommend going through a travel agent. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try and help!
Thank you so much for answering my question. They were very helpful.
My husband and are are taking our very first cruise. We are going on an Alaskan cruise on June 22,2018. I have a few questions.
1. How do I know what shows will be on this. Cruise and who do I contact for reservations?
2. We will need transportation from our hotel in Seward to the pier. Do I need to arrange this myself? If I am at the airport and need transportation does Royal Caribbean provide this and what is the cost?
3. What restaurants are included in the price of the cruise?
4. We are scheduled for the late dining. Is this at a specific restaurant or all of them? What would I need to do if I wanted to change to an earlier time?
5. What would I need to do if I wanted to upgrade to a balcony and what would the cost be? We are on an outside with a window.
Thank you very much. I am sure I will have more questions closer to departure.
Hi Debra, thanks so much for reading my blog post. You have a lot of great questions. I will try and help you out here with a few of them. I’m not sure what boat you are sailing on so shows will be specific to your boat. Typically the Oasis and Quantum class ships are the only ones you need to reserve shows for with the exception of the ice skating show on some boats. If reservations are required, you will be able to reserve those in the cruise planner located on the Royal Caribbean website. 2. Transportation – yes, you will need to set up your transportation from the airport and hotel. Are you flying in the day before your departure? Royal Caribbean, will likely have a transportation/shuttle option but you will need to reserve. Your hotel will likely offer a shuttle service as well, just ask. There will likely be a fee. 3. Dining – Main Dining and the Wind Jammer buffet are included in the price of your cruise. And, yes, you will be assigned to a specific dining room. If you would like to switch to the earlier dining, go see the head waiter who will have open hours the first day of your cruise. If you would like to upgrade to a balcony room, you should contact your travel agency or Royal Caribbean right away. Balcony rooms go fast. I hope this helps. Most of this information will be in your cruise planner on their website. If you aren’t comfortable with the website, just give them a call. They will be happy to help you. (866) 562-7625 just let them know that you already have a cruise booked and have your reservation handy. But, if you used a travel agency, start with them first. I hope this helps! – Jillian
And Debra you will LOVE Alaska! I’m excited for you!