Fill yer sea chest
Tap a category to expand it. This covers what Royal Caribbean itself recommends for first-timers, plus the essentials seasoned cruisers say people forget.
Ship's manifest & papers
Handle this before you get to the terminal — it's the single biggest source of first-timer stress, and it's entirely avoidable.
🪪 What to bring to the terminal
Everyone must present an accepted form of ID based on their nationality — guests who don't bring the required documents may be denied boarding.
- Closed-loop cruise (round-trip from a U.S. port): a valid passport is strongly recommended; some sailings allow a government-issued photo ID plus original/certified birth certificate instead, but a passport avoids complications if you need to fly home from a foreign port in an emergency.
- Any international/one-way itinerary: a passport valid well beyond your return date, plus any visas your specific itinerary requires.
- Your SetSail Pass (mobile or printed boarding pass) generated after online check-in.
- A credit/debit card linked for onboard spending (or you can link cash/gift cards at Guest Services).
📱 Complete check-in in the Royal Caribbean app first
Online/app check-in typically opens well in advance of sailing and closes the day before departure. During check-in you'll enter guest details, upload ID, take a security photo, add an emergency contact, and select a terminal arrival time.
⏰ Arrival time rules
- Arrive at the terminal within the specific time slot you selected — not before, not after. Early arrivals are asked to wait; late arrivals may be pushed to a later group.
- All guests must be checked in and onboard no later than 90 minutes before the ship's scheduled departure (or before port operations close, whichever is earlier) — port closing times vary by location, so don't cut it close.
- A 24-hour push notification in the app will prompt you to complete a final health questionnaire before boarding.
🎒 Pack a "first hours" carry-on
Your checked luggage won't reach your stateroom until later in the afternoon. In your carry-on, pack: your travel documents, medications, a swimsuit or change of clothes, phone charger, and anything you'll want before your cabin is ready.
🇨🇦 Victoria, BC is a real border crossing — bring medication paperwork
Your itinerary crosses into Canadian territory at Victoria on Day 7, Thursday, August 20 (10:00 AM – 6:00 PM), so this isn't just cruise-line advice — it's a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) requirement.
- You must declare any prescription medication that contains a controlled substance when entering Canada — this applies even for a short port stop.
- Some common U.S. prescriptions are treated as controlled substances in Canada, including certain sleep aids, anxiety medications, ADHD medications, and opioid painkillers — even though they're routine and legal at home.
- Keep all medications in original, labeled containers, and carry a copy of the prescription or a doctor's letter for anything in those categories. Without it, border officials can legally seize the medication.
- In practice, most Alaska round-trip cruisers barely notice Victoria — it's a short stop and CBSA screening for transiting passengers is typically light. But if either of you carries anything in the categories above, this is the one place that documentation earns its keep.
Contraband & what stays ashore
Straight from Royal Caribbean's official prohibited items policy. Confiscated items are sometimes held and returned at the end of the cruise — but plenty are gone for good, so it's worth packing around these.
☠️ Scuttled — never allowed
Illegal drugs & substances
Includes marijuana — banned regardless of medical authorization or local legality at home.
Weapons & dangerous items
Firearms, ammunition, explosives, incendiaries, replicas, and gun parts. No onboard or pier storage is offered.
Fire & flammable hazards
Fireworks, sparklers, flammable materials, anything with an open flame.
Clothing irons & garment steamers
Banned as a fire risk. Pack wrinkle-release spray instead, or use the hot-shower trick.
Mace, pepper spray & martial arts items
Disabling chemicals and self-defense weapons are prohibited.
Recreational vehicles
Motorcycles, mopeds, ATVs, and similar conveyances.
🗝️ Locked up — allowed with exceptions
Knives, scissors & tools
Exception Grooming scissors/nail tools under 4" blades are fine; tools/screwdrivers over 7" are not. Diving knives are allowed only checked in/out by ship security for organized dive excursions.
Sporting equipment
Exception Allowed only if stored in your stateroom and not used in public areas.
Extension cords & power strips
Mostly banned Any with surge protection or multi-plug outlets are prohibited. A basic, non-surge-protected power strip is one of the few exceptions.
Baby monitors
Banned Not permitted as electronic equipment; other baby necessities may be approved case-by-case if you email Special_needs@rccl.com before sailing.
💰 Buried treasure — surprisingly allowed
Small personal fans
Allowed for personal use in your stateroom.
Curling & flat irons
Personal hair styling tools are fine — just not steam irons/garment steamers. A hair dryer is already provided in your stateroom.
USB & device chargers
Allowed if marked with recognized U.S. or European conformity certification.
Smart glasses
Allowed onboard, but can't be worn in the casino, spa, restrooms, locker rooms, medical facilities, security screening areas, youth zones, or crew areas.
Grog, bubbly & bites
The most-asked question from first-timers, verified against Royal Caribbean's official beverage policy.
🍾 Wine & champagne Allowed
On embarkation day, each guest of drinking age may bring one (1) sealed 750ml bottle of wine or champagne. Boxed wine and other container types are prohibited.
- Pack it in your carry-on — luggage containing wine won't be delivered to your cabin; you'd have to retrieve it from security after the ship sails.
- Bring more than one bottle, or buy alcohol onboard or in port? It gets safely stored and returned to you on the last day.
- On a back-to-back (consecutive) sailing, you're allowed one bottle per individual sailing — extra bottles are delivered one at a time on the first day of each new voyage.
🍺 Beer & liquor Not allowed
No other type of alcohol — beer, seltzer, hard liquor — may be brought onboard at embarkation. Anything seized on embarkation day is not returned.
🥤 Non-alcoholic beverages Allowed, limited
You can carry on up to 12 standard cans, bottles, or cartons (17 oz. or less) of soda, water, or similar drinks — per stateroom, not per person. Milk and distilled water for infant, medical, or dietary use are permitted beyond that limit.
🍿 Snacks Allowed, in reason
Pre-packaged, sealed snacks are fine in sensible quantities. There's no hard cap, but Royal Caribbean notes the ship is already stocked with plenty of complimentary food.
Setting sail — how the day unfolds
Your sailing departs Friday, August 14 from the Seattle cruise terminal at 4:00 PM. Knowing the shape of the day removes most of the first-timer anxiety.
⚓ Weeks before: complete online check-in
Do this in the Royal Caribbean app as early as it opens for your sailing. Upload ID, take your security photo, and pick your terminal arrival time — earlier slots fill up first.
⚓ 3 days before: confirm everything's locked in
Finish check-in by this point to avoid finishing it at the pier, which takes longer.
⚓ 24 hours before: health questionnaire unlocks
A push notification prompts you to complete it in the app before boarding.
⚓ Arrival: show up in your selected time window
Porters take your tagged checked luggage curbside — it'll reach your stateroom later in the day. Keep documents, medication, valuables, and a change of clothes with you.
⚓ Security & check-in at the terminal
Bag scan, ID check, and your SetSail Pass gets scanned. Large suitcases that don't fit the standard X-ray get manually checked, which can add time.
⚓ Onboard by 90 minutes before departure — no exceptions
All guests must be checked in and aboard at least 90 minutes prior to sailing time, or before port operations close (whichever is earlier). Late arrivals risk missing the ship entirely.