Cruise Tips & Free Upgrade!

Ever since booking my cruise I have been scouring the Cruise Critic website.  I have read all of their "First Time Cruisers" articles and spent hours upon hours going through their message boards.  Here are some of the tips and tricks I've picked up along the way, some specific to Royal Caribbean and others more generic:

• After boarding the ship you will be directed to the Windjammer buffet, which is likely to be crowded.  To avoid the crowds head to the Royal Promenade and get lunch at Sorrento's or the Cafe Promenade instead.
• Check your onboard statement partway through the trip so that any charges that need to be disputed are taken care of before the last day when the lines at the customer service desk are the longest.
• Turn your TV to the channel that shows the bridge camera to see the sun rising in the morning.  There's also another channel with a clock that serves as the perfect nightlight and room clock.  
• If you need to break larger bills for tipping, head to the casino for a quick transaction.
• In order to keep track of which day you took pictures, start each day with a picture of your cruise itinerary so you know what day you're looking at when going through your pictures later.
• Instead of eating the scrambled eggs in the buffet line which are made from a powder, go straight to the omelet station where they are able to make custom scrambled eggs for you.
• Typically souvenirs on the ship go on sale after a couple of days at sea, so wait at least two days before buying anything.  If you're buying clothes and afraid they will run out of a specific size, buy it right away and go back later with your receipt for a partial refund if the price has dropped.
• Continue to check the price of your cruise online to see if there are any price drops to be aware of.  If you've made your final payment you won't be able to get a refund, but chances are they can upgrade you to a nicer room for no additional fee.

The last tip worked out awesome for me!  Yesterday morning I decided to check out the Cruise Critic Price Drop tool and noticed that balcony rooms on my cruise had dropped price significantly.  I was originally booked in a Promenade room, so I was one step below a balcony.  I called customer service at Royal Caribbean and asked them if they could check and see if I was eligible for an upgrade.  

The guy I spoke to was very nice and said that I was indeed able to get a free upgrade to a balcony room!  I was super excited because all along I wanted a balcony but couldn't justify spending the extra money, especially because I'm alone in my room and still paying the price for two people (which honestly baffles me).  

The best part of the story is that I emailed the group I'm traveling with and they called and got the free upgrade for the other three rooms in our group.  Two of the rooms are even adjoining, so we can remove the balcony divider and have a balcony twice the size of a normal one!  I can already envision spending evenings on the double balcony drinking wine and watching the sunset!

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There must be a ton of other tips and tricks out there for cruising, so if you have anything else you'd like to add please make a comment below.