Booking a cruise and then making sure you add all the extras you want can take some work. That's partially because many passengers don't actually know what they want.
They have to figure out whether the need internet access, a drink package, and whether they might want to book some shore excursions. These are decisions it's best to make before you get on the ship because prices are almost always higher onboard.
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In addition, passengers should make a decision on specialty dining before they get on the ship because some restaurants sell out while others will see the best time disappear quickly.
If you want to do something special like a Chef's Dinner or the new Royal Railway on Utopia of the Seas, then you have to act quickly. Royal Caribbean also has a quirk that's frustrating for passengers buying one of its most expensive add-on dining options.
The Unlimited Dining Package (UDP) lets anyone who buys it eat lunch and dinner each day in any specialty restaurant. There are some minor exceptions (Izumi Hibachi has a small add-on charge) while a la carte restaurants like the Playmakers Sports Bar have a daily stipend.
It's a popular offer, but people who book the UDP cannot make their dinner reservations until they board their ship. That's frustrating because people who book individual added-fee restaurants can reserve a day and time.
In addition, Royal Caribbean passengers who book the UDP have the frustration of having to spend their first moments onboard waiting in line, then making their dinner reservations. That process can take 10-20 minutes once you reach the front of the line.
Royal Caribbean has promised to fix that problem and it has begun the process of rolling out pre-cruise reservations for UDP buyers.
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Image source: Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean wants to improve booking in general
Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty has talked often about improving the booking experience for customers. That includes both booking their cruise and all the various add-ons they might want.
"If we can pick any, positiveness out of Covid, it was that the consumer, young or middle-aged, etcetera, got very used to booking or buying things online. We also really improved our ability to take friction out of the booking experience for a ticket price, as well as the booking experience for onboard, by curating, taking a lot of steps out of the process, etcetera. And that's really what is driving that better behavior," he said during the cruise line's first-quarter earnings call.
He pointed to Royal Caribbean's new commerce system that allows the cruise line to better manage the process.
"In the first quarter, we had 100 million visits to our websites, 100 million. That's twice what we had pre-Covid. And so, we have really upped our game, not just on a marketing basis, but also to make that our websites helped our customers dream about what they want to do and help them get to the experience that they're looking for. And then making sure that they have all the onboard experiences that they want to have and being able to resolve all that well in advance of them getting on the ship," he said.
Royal Caribbean UDP reservations are starting to happen
Liberty has spoken a lot about giving passengers the first day of their vacation back. That means allowing them to make reservations before their trip.
You can do that for shows on Oasis-class ships and the company has begun to roll out that capability for UDP buyers. That's something the cruise line had promised to do earlier last year, without giving a start date.
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Now, some people have reported that the cruise line has added the functionality.
"Nicole Pantalena first shared the update in the Royal Caribbean Dining Facebook group, saying, 'The website now allows you to make all reservations for the UDP at [the] time of purchase!!' Pantalena clarified that she's on the December 2 sailing on Allure of the Seas, as other users didn't see any changes to their Cruise Planner. She also stated that she couldn't make reservations for the UDP in advance for her Anthem of the Seas cruise next year," the Royal Caribbean Blog reported.
The cruise line generally tests new technology before rolling it out across the fleet.
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