Royal Caribbean cruises come packed with perks, but not every add-on or upgrade is worth reaching for your wallet. With base fares trending upward, knowing where to hold back can make a real difference in what you actually get for your vacation budget.
One of the more counterintuitive missteps involves the Crown & Anchor Society's complimentary drink vouchers, available to Diamond members and above. These vouchers can cover cocktails, beer, wine, and specialty coffee up to a $14 limit — so using them on sodas or bottled water leaves a lot of value on the table. Similarly, specialty dining packages are best reserved for higher-end venues like Chops Grille, Izumi Sushi, or Hooked Seafood. Burning a dining credit at Johnny Rockets — where the cover charge runs just $14.99 — makes more sense as an out-of-pocket purchase than a package redemption.
Onboard credit, often awarded through booking promotions, is another benefit that's easy to underuse. Spending it on trinkets from the ship's gift shop is a common pitfall; that credit stretches much further when applied to shore excursions, drink packages, or specialty meals booked in advance through Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner, where discounted pricing is frequently available before you ever board. Professional photography is worth a similar recalculation: a single photo through the Focus Photo Gallery runs $24.99, while a package covering up to 50 images on a seven-night Icon of the Seas sailing can be purchased through the Cruise Planner for around $180.
On the dining side, even guests who've invested in the Unlimited Dining Package should watch for venues that tack on additional fees. Supper clubs like Empire, Lincoln Park, and Hollywoodland charge around $130 per person on top of any package price, and the Royal Railway experience adds another $50 per adult — costs that can quickly outpace the package's original value. And those collectible souvenir drink cups on the pool deck? They aren't included in drink packages, meaning you'll pay a premium for the cup itself on top of the beverage, and they tend to end up forgotten in the back of a cabinet anyway.
This roundup was originally reported by Elizabeth Wright for Royal Caribbean Blog.
