Royal Caribbean Budget Hacks for Families: Save on Your Next Cruise
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We are a family of 6 and travel is a huge part of our life we LOVE it!! But that goes without saying travel can be pretty expensive especially when life has many other costs that add up. If you are thinking of planning a Royal Caribbean Cruise for your family but worried about the cost- look no further this post will help you save money!
One of our favorite things to do on a family vacation is go on a cruise! We have sailed Disney before but we do love Royal and prefer Royal. (For more comparison on Disney VS Royal check out this post: https:https://togetherwecantravel.com/family-cruise-face-off-disney-magic-or-royal-caribbean-thrills/)
These are our top tips when looking to save on the Ultimate Family Cruise.
1. Book During Kids Sale Free
Royal has many different offers throughout the year but one of the best ones is the kids sale free offer. When you see this one come up be sure to book during this window. There are typically some black out dates such as prime summer time and over the Christmas Break. Check your calendar and find a time that is off “prime” to get the best deal!
2. Connecting Cabins over Suites
One of the things to consider when booking a cruise is cabin sizes- they are not really that big. You won’t be spending too much time in the cabin- but this is an important thing to consider. Royal Caribbean offers suites that sleep many people so you could all fit in but these come with a really exp
ensive price tag. A good alternative is booking connecting cabins its a lot cheaper.
Another good option is across the hall. We have booked an interior cabin for 4 and then right across the hall and Ocean View Balcony. This gives the best of both worlds but because we had an interior it was cheaper. There will need to be at least one adult registered to each room to make this work.
3. Skip The Full Drink Package
This one is a huge cost saver! The Ultimate Drink package comes with a lot of alcohol- we are not big drinkers so we could never make it worth it. Unless you are huge soda drinkers we don’t think that the drink package is ever worth it. We still purchase individual cocktails or a milkshake but have never used enough to make it worth the whole package. That being said they do offer some various levels of the drink package. Check out our guide to not buying a drink package: https://togetherwecantravel.com/free-drinks-on-royal-caribbean-cruises/.
Even if you don’t skip the drink package make sure you bring your refillable water bottle https://amzn.to/4s4you4, as well as a coffee travel mug to keep your coffee warm while over looking the ocean https://amzn.to/4rs5iEV.
4. Skip The Wifi
Hear me out on this! I know we are all in an instant world and want to post and connect with everyone- BUT enjoy your cruise. Take the pics and post later! The free cruise line app works pretty well for communicating with family that are on the ship. If we are ever traveling without all of our kids we have bought wifi for one device to communicate back home. But I don’t think all party members need the internet package. Download some shows or movies before you go- the TV in the rooms is not great.
5. Eat Complimentary
With 4 kids we try and cut costs anywhere that we can. The cost of the cruise is high enough we don’t want to spend more once on board. We have never purchased an add on dining package or eaten at a restaurant that we have had to pay for. And we have never been disappointed with the food. Do we know what we are missing? No probably not but we find the food delicious and the service fantastic that why would we pay for extra.
If you would like to try the add on dining I would suggest dropping the kids at Kids Club and then going out just the parents to save some money.
6. Maximize Free Activities
There is so much to do for free on these cruise ships. Now the size of the ship will affect how many activities there are but take advantage of everything there is. Our family loves having a morning match of table tennis, endless mini golf tournament. Be sure to bring your shoes for the laser tag, rock climbing and zip lining! Test out your surfing skills with the FlowRider.
Spend time hunting and finding ducks- one of our kids most favorite things to do! Also check out all of the door decorations- there are some really fun things. Make sure you grab your ducks https://amzn.to/4kOQ36o and magnets https://amzn.to/46k5ldy before setting sail.
7. Short Cruises
Another way to save money on a cruise is to book a shorter cruise. When taking a 7 night cruise you are likely needing at least one day on either end of it so depending on your vacation time this could be hard. A shorter 4 night cruise can help incorporate your travel days. Or jump on a plane for a quick weekend cruise! This one is fun for a mom and dad quick getaway.
Key Takeaways
Cruising doesn’t have to be expensive. With some of these money saving tips I hope you and your family enjoy a wonderfully relaxing time at sea. For more family travel tips and advice be sure to check out out other posts at Blog – Together We Can Travel.
