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Bionic Bar ®

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You are at the heart of the Makr Shakr experience! Scroll down to discover a new way to enjoy beverages and socialize.

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The first Makr Shakr prototype, created by MIT Senseable City Lab, The Coca Cola Company and Bacardi Rum, was unveiled in 2013 at Google I/O in San Francisco. The robots’ movements were modeled on the choreography of Marco Pelle, to provide an engaging bar experience.

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Cruising with Robot Bartenders

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Royal Caribbean's  Anthem of the Seas  features robotic bartenders created by Makr Shakr. These robots can muddle, stir, shake, and strain your drink to perfection. The cocktail combinations are endless with 30 different spirits and 20 different mixers.  The next great adventure has arrived in NYC. It's time you experience #AnthemoftheSeas

June 2023 – Introducing the ultimate 3-night weekend and 4-night weekday getaway, Royal Caribbean International’s Utopia of the Seas . The new vacation is the first game-changing Oasis Class ship to debut with short getaways, setting the stage to make more memories in one short trip than ever before. Groups of friends and families can celebrate with unmatched weekend energy across all-new and returning experiences, more than 40 ways to dine and drink, more pools than the days to count, thrills and ways to chill, and more of all the above at Perfect Day at CocoCay – Royal Caribbean’s private island in The Bahamas – on every cruise. Utopia debuts July 2024 from Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, and will set sail every Friday and Monday year-round.

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Get Cocktails Made by a Robot at the Bionic Bar

Since the Jetsons premiered in the ’60s, we’ve been waiting for the day when robots would cater to our every whim. When you can just push a button and you’re automatically showered and dressed. Or when you have a robot like Rosie cleaning the house and taking care of the kids. It’s fifty years later, and we’re still far from that goal. But at Royal Caribbean’s Bionic Bar, you can at least try a drink made by a robotic bartender.

Bionic Bar Debuted on Quantum of the Seas

Royal Caribbean debuted the first robotic bartender at sea in 2014 when it introduced the Quantum of the Seas. The Quantum-class of ships was supposed to represent the epitome of technology in cruising, and so it made sense to be the first to have robotic bartenders. 

Royal Caribbean called on Makr Shakr, a leader in robotic bar solutions, to help bring this dream to the sea. While Makr Shakr has a few other installations on land (you may have seen the one in Las Vegas at the Miracle Mile Shops in Planet Hollywood), Royal Caribbean ships are the easiest places to find this bartender.  

A Futuristic Bar on a Cruise Ship

Royal Caribbean named this new bar “Bionic Bar” and styled it with a futuristic theme. The bar has two robotic arms that whip up cocktails for guests at a rate of two drinks per minute. These six-axis arms resemble the type of robots you might see assembling cars, but they were explicitly designed for muddling, stirring, shaking, and straining cocktails for guests. Each ship’s robot has its own name. Below, you’ll see Mix and Mingle from the Harmony of the Seas. 

In the ceiling above the two robots, 30 different spirits and 21 mixers are suspended overhead. This area is where the “bartenders” will grab the ingredients for the cocktail. The bottles are suspended upside-down, meaning gravity helps dispense the ingredients, eliminating the need for pumps or messy tubing that would have to be clean. Using these ingredients, they can make up to 1,000 cocktails a day. 

Ordering a drink from the Bionic Bar

One nice thing about the Bionic Bar is that you’re not going to have to wait in a long line to give the bartender your order. Tablets are mounted to tables throughout the bar to allow guests to place their orders. You simply tap your SeaPass card to the top and then browse through the premade recipes.

Once you’ve selected what you want, you place your order, and your drink is sent to the queue. The screen next to the robots will show you where your drink is in the line and estimate when it’ll be ready. 

When it’s your turn, your name will come up, and the screen will show the steps the robot takes to make your drink. The screen itself is innovative; it puts the LED display behind a mirror rather than a flat-panel TV/monitor. It gives it a much more futuristic feel. 

You’ll watch as your bartender gathers all your ingredients and then mixes, shakes, or strains it into a glass as requested. Then the robot pours the drink into a plastic cup. Finally, the display will show that your drink is ready. 

You walk up to the bar and tap your SeaPass against the bar. It will verify you are the right person for this cocktail and slide it over to you so you can grab it. 

What kind of drinks are at the Bionic Bar?

The Bionic Bar doesn’t have any blenders, so you’re not going to be getting any frozen margaritas or daiquiris here. The bar has a variety of liquors and mixers though, and you can get your drink on the rocks or straight up. 

With 30 spirits and 21 mixers, thousands, if not millions, of combinations are possible. You can even get non-alcoholic drinks using just syrups and sodas. 

We noticed people who made their own recipes were often unhappy with the quantity they received. The premade recipes are made to be the optimum size. If you make your own and miss things like a mixer or ice, your cup will look empty even though you got what you asked for. So I suggest sticking to the premade recipes.

Bionic Bar Drink Menu

How much do drinks cost at the Bionic Bar?

The price per drink can vary, but on average, it was about $14 per cocktail on my November 2022 sailing on Harmony of the Seas ( you can follow along on your cruise here ). You still have to pay Royal Caribbean’s 18% gratuity here, even though there’s no human bartender, so the total cost is $16.52 per drink. It’s on par with the prices you’ll see for drinks at other Royal Caribbean bars. 

How are the drinks at the Bionic Bar?

Like any drink, there will be some debate over what’s good and bad. Some people like strong drinks, some like weak, some like sweet, and some like sour. One thing you’ll know for sure, though, is that the cocktail is consistent. Because of the precision of the robots, you know you’re going to get the same thing every time. The same can’t be said if you go to two different bartenders on different parts of the ship. 

Which ships have the Bionic Bar?

You can check out the Bionic Bar on any of these Royal Caribbean ships:

• Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas
• Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas
• Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas
• Royal Caribbean Odyssey of The Seas
• Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
• Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
• Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas
• Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas
• Royal Caribbean Wonder Of The Seas

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Randy Young

Randy Young is the founder and editor-in-chief at Cruise Spotlight. He has been in marketing for 19 years and has been cruising for just as long. Over the years, he's worked with products like TVs, copiers, light bulbs, and EV chargers, but cruising has always been his passion. There's nothing Randy likes more than the first couple of hours on a ship, exploring every nook and cranny and seeing how it's different from everything else out there. He's known for providing detailed and analytical coverage of cruising to help cruisers get a comprehensive picture of a ship's offerings.

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Home » Cruise » Royal Caribbean » Quantum of the Seas » Bionic Bar on Quantum of the Seas

Bionic Bar on Quantum of the Seas

The world’s first smart ship, Quantum of the Seas, lets you open your cabin door with the swipe of your wrist and offers amazing digitally enhanced entertainment with 12K high definition screens. Among all of

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The world’s first smart ship, Quantum of the Seas, lets you open your cabin door with the swipe of your wrist and offers amazing digitally enhanced entertainment with 12K high definition screens. Among all of these technological advancements, there is one that just might make you feel like you are in an episode of the Jetsons!

Yes, now, you too can have your own personal robot serving you a cocktail. You will find your own personal Rosie at the Bionic Bar on Quantum of the Seas . This venue lets you go from ordering your drink on a tablet, to watching the robots make your drink, to sipping on your cocktail, all without having to speak to a human being.

See these robots at the Bionic Bar on Quantum of the Seas in action:

 What is the Bionic Bar on Quantum of the Seas?

Hailed as “mixology meets technology”, this lounge on deck 5 is a bar that is manned (pun intended) by two robots. Using robotics from Makr Shakr , who rents and sells these systems, the technology at the Bionic Bar enables the cruiser to enjoy a variety of steel-crafted (oh, I have plenty more where that came from) cocktails and some signature drinks exclusive to the venue. While at this venue, you can also enjoy some upbeat music being spun by the resident DJ.

 Hey Bartender, Can I Get A Drink?

Before looking over the drink menu, you have to swipe your sea pass card and verify your age. Granted, on cruise ships the carding of individuals looking to be under 21 is a bit lax, but at least the Bionic Bar on Quantum of the Seas tries to weed out minors from consuming alcohol.

Once you are into the menu, you can select from a number of specialty drinks, including the tequila based Don’s Delight, standard cocktails like a Cosmo or a rum and coke, or you can create a customized drink with the liquors of your choice.

There are a wide array of liquors from which to choose, and the bar is very well stocked. Where are the bottles you may ask? Well, they are actually hanging from the ceiling, as the robot arms go from bottle to bottle making your cocktail.

After ordering and paying for your cocktail (which costs about $6.00), your drink shows up on one of two boards which flanks the robots. When the venue is busy, you can often find a queue of 4 or 5 cruisers waiting for their drinks. The Bionic Bar definitely does not have a speed well so be ready to wait as the process from start to finish can be quite time consuming.

Shaken, Not Stirred

The construction of your drink is chartered on the menu board. As one of the robots makes your drink, you can see what actions are taking place, shot by shot.

It starts with the robots grabbing a plastic cup, yes no glasses here folks. After placing the cup on a specific weighted area, the robots grab a metal shaker, fill it with ice, and then it’s up to the ceiling, as liquor is dispensed into the shaker using a valve system. From bottle to bottle, the robots at the Bionic Bar on Quantum of Seas go until all of the alcohol as been accurately measured.

Depending on the type of drink you order, if there is juice or soda to be included, then the robot swings over to a fountain area to get the necessary non-alcoholic additions.

After a few quick shakes of the drink, or swirls if the cocktail does not need to be blended, the contents of the shaker are dumped into the cup.

It is now time for you to acquire your drink. The menu board will show that your cocktail is ready and at which station you need to retrieve it. To verify that it is you, when you stroll up to the Bionic Bar on Quantum of the Seas , you will need to swipe your sea pass card again to release the beverage.

Final Thoughts

Despite the cool concept, unfortunately, the Bionic Bar fell short on some key metrics. It is definitely something that we suggest experiencing once, but this will probably not be your go-to bar on the ship. There were time out errors on the tablets when ordering drinks, occasional fumbles on the part of the robots, duplicate drinks made at times, and difficulty releasing drinks from the stations when completed. Due to these flaws in the technology, there were still usually 2 staff members present at the Bionic Bar to assist cruisers with these issues.

Hopefully, these issues can be addressed as the concept is refined. The Bionic Bar is slated to be a venue on Royal Caribbean’s new Anthem of the Seas debuting in 2015 and Harmony of the Seas debuting in 2016.

Go and order a drink, take some pictures (and perhaps video) of the experience, but then you will probably never visit this venue again, unless you want to watch the show.

Have you tried the Bionic Bar on Quantum of the Seas ? Let us know your experiences at this technologically enhanced bar. Drop us an anchor below to share your favorite bar experiences. We would love to know what your thoughts are when it comes to human vs. machine bartenders!

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As I’m completely new to the whole cruise experience (went on my first just a couple weeks ago), while I get the cool factor of the Bionic Bar, seems odd that you’d still need just as many people as robots to help out. In fact, I wonder how quickly two bartenders could make the drinks when compared to the robot arms?

Hi Chris, thanks for reading. Given it is new technology, there are sure to be some kinks, but I think this bar is a little but more of a gimmick then a real cruise innovation. In our experience, two bartenders would have been able to make drinks twice as fast as the robots, and would probably have been just as accurate. But, watching robots is cool, at first, it does become sort of ordinary as the cruise goes on. Appreciate the comment and welcome to cruising. It is highly addictive!

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Welcome Aboard! We are Don and Heidi, the husband and wife travel team behind EatSleepCruise.com. We took our first cruise vacation together 13 years ago and have been hooked ever since. Follow along as we share our travel tips, cruise reviews, information on ports of call, and the latest cruise news to help you plan the ultimate cruise vacation. Are you ready to embark on your journey to “sea the world, one port at a time”?

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Robot bartenders? This new cruise ship has them

ABOARD QUANTUM OF THE SEAS -- Finally, a robot that does something useful.

Cruise giant Royal Caribbean is making waves this weekend with a new bar that boasts robot bartenders -- a cruise industry first.

Dubbed the Bionic Bar, the high-tech venue on the line's new Quantum of the Seas features two drink-slinging robotic arms that mix drinks to order.

"You have a choice of a Bionic Bar signature recipe or a classic recipe, or you also can create your own," explains Alessandro Insica of Makr Shakr, the company that developed the contraption for Royal Caribbean. "There are endless combinations."

Officially debuting Sunday when Quantum of the Seas sets sail on its maiden voyage, the robot bartenders take drink orders directly from passengers via tablets located around the bar. Passengers then can watch as the machines prepare the concoctions -- with an occasional assist from a human. The robotic arms draw liquor from dozens of bottles hanging from above and are programmed to add just the right amount of mixers, ice and even lemons and mint.

Like your martinis shaken and not stirred? No problem, says Insica, who spoke with USA TODAY in front of the robot bartenders as they showed off their proficiency (see videos above and below).

"You can (have the robot) shake, you can muddle, you can stir," he says.

The first robot-run bar at sea debuts as the idea of robot-served bars gains steam. Just last year a humanoid robot-served theme bar, the Robots Bar and Lounge, opened in Illmenau, Germany, and several start-up companies including Monsieur are developing more utilitarian robot bartenders for use at bars and at home.

Royal Caribbean's robot-served bar is just one of several gee-whiz features on Quantum of the Seas -- the first in a new generation of ships at Royal Caribbean that has been the most anticipated new cruise vessel of the year. Quantum of the Seas also boasts such innovative new features as the first skydiving simulator at sea and a glass capsule on a mechanical arm that rises high above the ship for bird's-eye views.

For a sneak peek at the ship, click through our just-posted 'first look' photo tour in the carousel below.

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Bottoms up: the robot bartender serving up drinks on MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises is introducing the first humanoid robot bartender at sea into a new bar concept called the Starship Club. We speak to project head Luca Pronzati to discover the challenges they faced delivering such a unique concept during a pandemic.

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Travel giant MSC Cruises have just welcomed their newest member of staff on their latest ship, MSC Virtuosa. Luca Pronzati, the Chief Business Innovation Officer at MSC Cruises, is delighted to announce the opening of the new Starship Club, and to ensure that Rob the bartender robot was ready to start tirelessly serving passengers, before the ship starts her inaugural season in the UK.

MSC Cruises have also been able to open sales for three, four and seven-night cruises on the state-of-the-art ship. Originally the ship would have been Mediterranean bound, but with the Covid-19 pandemic ongoing and domestic travel opening in the UK, Virtuosa will join other cruise liners to offer new itineraries in the British Isles from May.

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Although sister ship MSC Grandiosa – also a “Meraviglia Plus” class of ship – has been operating off the coast of Italy from Genoa, after a year of almost no sailings and uncertainty, this is clearly welcome news.

“I’m very happy that we made it and that we’re ready to welcome the first guests on board,” Pronzati says.

Developing a humanoid robot barman for cruise

The project to develop Rob – which is believed to be the world’s first humanoid robot bartender at sea – started in 2015. A pandemic and the ensuing global shutdown was not accounted for in the project timeline, but Pronzati calls the creation of Rob his best achievement.

“This is not me, it’s my team and all of us together,” he says. “Being able to progress in such a hard time of our lives has been a huge challenge. It’s still quite unbelievable that we were able to do it.”

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The journey started with Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago’s zeal for technology. “He’s always passionate about technology and innovation as a way of elevating the customer experience,” explains Pronzati, which led them to look at the potential of robotic automation as a way of offering something new and different on board.

“An express request from Mr Vago was not only to have an industrial robotic arm shaking cocktails,” he explains. “He really wanted to go a step further into robotics and automation and have a humanoid which could offer a kind of humanoid to human interaction, elevating the bar experience.”

As well as a voice, Rob needed to be a fully-functional barman, and show his sympathetic ear with facial expressions and a personality. For inspiration, the team started by researching the technology around Royal Caribbean’s Bionic Bar, which has two mechanical arms that make drinks to order.

It was clear to them that creating a human-like operation was poles apart from an automation perspective. “It’s a completely different challenge,” he says.

The challenge of finding the right partners

The journey to understanding how to create a robotic barman with two arms, a body and a head led them to the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), in Genoa.

“They have developed, I think, the most sophisticated robot on the earth today, called the iCub,” says Pronzati, who himself studied robotics in Genoa.

The iCub is the size of a five-year-old child, and can sit, walk and manipulate objects. However, the team soon realised that the robot was so sophisticated that it would not work for a commercial cruise ship setting. Yet the experience provided inspiration and they learned about “the limitations and peculiarities” that had to be taken into consideration.

While researching other avenues, the team had an approach back from IIT. “They were interested to translate the complexity back down into a commercial application that could be delivered on the ship,” explains Pronzati. For the next 18 months they worked together to develop a potential humanoid.

“It was very challenging, we were progressing quite significantly, but the complexity came up when we had to close the deal,” he says. “Being a scientific institution and not a private company they were really struggling to be in a position to offer a service to a private company who will, for example, go over the weekend for maintenance and support.”

With 2,421 staterooms and a capacity for 6,334 guests – as well as five pools, 19 decks, 11 restaurants and 20 other bars – MSC Virtuosa is an enormous operation. As one of the star attractions on the new ship, maintenance and round-the-clock support for Rob and the Starship Club is vital.

“The Italian Institute of Technology doesn’t do this kind of job,” Pronzati continues, “it’s a completely different organisation.”

Unfortunately, IIT and MSC Cruises had to part ways. “I cannot say this was negative,” Pronzati says. “I think this is part of the process and of the progress we’ve made over the years.”

Progressing with partners in a pandemic

After scouting other companies, Pronzati explains that they were able to deliver the experience by combining the expertise of several stakeholders who were involved in different areas. These included Japanese company Kawasaki Robotics, a specialist in robotic automation, and Siena-based Mainit, which develops, manufactures and installs humanoid robots.

The project was progressing well until Covid-19 arrived in Italy last February. “We were not prepared at all, it has been one of the biggest challenges,” Pronzati says. “Since the first lockdown we had to immediately switch to remote working and when you’re having to deal with physical objects it is not the easiest of tasks.”

It was only possible to keep going due to the effort Ponzati’s team made to overcome the setbacks. They were adapting and operating out of their own apartments in order to push ahead with the different activities and one team member had to set up a data centre at home so they could continue with the software development testing.

Creating Rob’s human personality

Finding a human-like personality for Rob was another significant challenge, because as well as being charming and welcoming, they wanted to make him funny. While he can’t reply to guests – this simply isn’t possible in a loud, crowded bar environment – he can speak eight languages.

It was important to find the right tone of voice for each of the languages. They also decided to alter Rob’s personality so it would change throughout the day and programmed his speech to match the expressions on his LED-screen face. The team worked with several different companies to find the right voices, expressions and interactions.

To ensure that Rob’s shaking, stirring and mixing of the cocktails was carried out with the right precision, they brought in an expert barman and fitted him with sensors. “The sensors gathered thousands of pieces of data which were used when programming Rob to ensure that his shaking, shirring and mixing was done with the same force to expertly create the cocktails, just as if they had been made by hand,” says Pronzati.

An immersive inter-galactic experience

In addition to Rob the humanoid robot, the experience at the Starship Club is made up of a network of digital touchpoints that are designed to immerse guests in a vision of the spaceship of the future.

These include 3D holograms projecting futuristic advertisements, an outer space weather forecast and an interactive “infinity” table where guests can explore the solar system or play arcade games.

At an ordering station, guests can request a personalised or a ‘Galactic’ cocktail, which is not available anywhere else on the ship, and takes Rob just two minutes to conjure. Having just experienced a couple of cocktails made by Rob for himself, Pronzati confirms that the experience is very nice and immersive.

“It is another great achievement for the team,” he says, confirming that over 30 stakeholders have been involved overall to create the experience.

“At the start of the pandemic we were in shock because we didn’t know how to move forward, but our different operational model has been successful – you need to have the right people and the right partners.”

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Royal Caribbean's New Cruise Ship Features Robot Bartenders

Martini on the rocks? The robot will mix your drink now. Royal Caribbean International on Monday unveiled the high-tech features on its newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, and among them is is a “Bionic Bar” staffed with robot bartenders. “Guests place orders via tablets and then have fun watching robotic bartenders hard at work mixing cocktails,” the company said. Passengers can pay for their robotically shaken drinks via RFID wristbands, which also double as their room key. For entertainment, the 1,141-foot-long vessel features six giant “Roboscreens” —100-foot video entertainment screens mounted to robot arms — that can assemble in various formations. Quantum of the Seas is scheduled to set sail in November.

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In case you missed it, watch the highlights from today's #QuantumOfTheSeas technology reveal: http://t.co/4JThWoa2E2 — Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) August 25, 2014

Royal Caribbean's New Cruise Ship Is One Gigantic Floating Gadget http://t.co/3KcQszHF2Z #Technology #technews — Chealsea Erickson (@chealseaerickso) August 25, 2014

Productivity on the ocean with @RoyalCaribbean http://t.co/g6qm4oxxM9 — Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) August 25, 2014

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How Robots Are Changing the Future of Cruising

Doug Parker

• July 5, 2023

Anyone who has sailed over the past few years knows that cruise ship technology has advanced, so nearly every aspect of your time on board has been impacted.

From trip-planning apps to robotic bartenders, tech has changed how we look at cruising.

It’s also changing how ships are built as new robotic technology is increasingly being used at shipyards and throughout the maritime industry.

Introducing the Latest Cruise Ship Technology

Under the best circumstances, new technology serves multiple purposes, from decreasing costs to increasing productivity. In the case of the newly-introduced Mobile Robot For Weld — or MR4WELD, all of those factors come together during crucial stages of cruise ship construction.

Remotely controlled by a single operator, MR4WELD offers greater flexibility, better safety, and lower costs for the industry.

As the product of shipbuilding giant Fincantieri and leading automation organization Comau, MR4WELD is currently in the testing phase.

Once fully implemented, the device should be able to take on many aspects of welding — a labor-intensive procedure crucial to the shipbuilding process — and potentially increase productivity threefold. 

Once testing is complete, the device will be deployed in Fincantieri shipyards, where it will autonomously weld together steel structures.

MR4WELD has a welding torch attached to a tracked undercarriage and a “vision system” to help identify welding joints.

As it’s taking on this task, it will also collect welding and production data, essentially tracking and reporting on its own work. Featuring a high payload, MR4WELD can function in any environment and collaborate with workers. 

The robot complies with the latest industry safety regulations, so it doesn’t need to be fenced in when working across different decks and producing superior-quality welds.

The Future of Robotics in Shipbuilding

While a welding robot may be a new development, robotics in shipbuilding has become increasingly common. Before COVID caused a shutdown of cruise lines and many of the yards in which ships are constructed, the development and use of robotics were booming.

And though the shutdown hurt the tech, it is not estimated that by 2028, the global demand for this type of technology will lead to it becoming a billion-dollar-a-year industry.

Unsurprisingly, the two Italian multinationals have set their sights on more than enhancing cruise ship technology.

With the modern-day welder they’ve jointly developed, they are considering expanding its use to other industries that employ sizable steel infrastructures.

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17 best cruise ship bars

The best bars on cruise ships are more than just places to drink. They're destinations with atmosphere and attitude — plus creative approaches to sipping.

You might have your drink prepared by a robot or by a human in a chamber kept at 17 degrees Fahrenheit, or in a bar that levitates while you "travel" through hyperspace.

Whether you're a fan of the perfect martini or craft beer, or you're looking for mixologists who concoct molecular cocktails that sizzle or smoke, check out these cruise ship bar favorites.

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Half Moon Bar

The most noteworthy of Holland America 's bars is the Half Moon Bar, which is new to the fleet and only found on Rotterdam . It offers a menu that's one part history, one part science.

This venue's highlights include seven exclusive mixed drinks, each with a backstory and ties to the cruise line's deep-rooted history. A favorite — for its photo-worthiness as much as its taste — is the Rotterdam VII (named after the only ship on which it's found), which features smoked gin and maraschino. Beer and wine are also available.

The bar has taken up residence where you'd find wine-mixing bar Blend on other Pinnacle Class ships, and, due to its small size and understandable popularity, it's often so crowded you have to wait for a seat.

Alchemy Bar

A popular fixture on most Carnival Cruise Line ships, this bar is themed on a pharmacy — complete with apothecary jars — and helmed by specially trained bartenders wearing lab coats who are ready to cure what ails you. You order on a prescription pad, and while there is a fun menu with categories such as Energizing Elixirs and Passion Portions, it's also a treat to just check off some of your favorite flavors and see what the bartenders "prescribe" for you. If all else fails, try the Cucumber Sunrise, an Alchemy Bar staple.

Sugarcane Mojito Bar

On Norwegian Cruise Line 's Breakaway and Breakaway-Plus Class ships , check out this Havana-themed venue with indoor and outdoor seating and live Latin-Cuban music. Watch the sun go down from the alfresco promenade while sipping unusual mojitos such as Spicy Passion, Pineapple Coconut and Raspberry Guava. If you can't decide, go with a flight combining sweet and savory selections.

Blue Eye Lounge

You might not expect one of the coolest bar choices at sea to be on a small ship, but that's the case on French line Ponant 's Explorer Class 184-passenger Le Laperouse and its four sister ships. The multisensory lounge is below the water line and has two huge, whale-eye-shaped portals for watching the sea. The dark space makes you feel like you are inside a whale, except it's decorated with swanky "body listening" couches that gently vibrate to undersea acoustics. It's eerie, fancy and fabulous. Order a martini, and pretend you're James Bond.

Related: How to get free or cheap drinks on a cruise

Schooner Bar

The Schooner Bar is Royal Caribbean 's signature watering hole, featuring a classic nautical vibe. It's the place to hear live piano music and compete in daily trivia. The bar is so popular that you might have trouble finding a free table. A recently revamped cocktail menu has solidified its position as a top Royal Caribbean drinking spot; we recommend the Toasted Marshmallow Old Fashioned.

Ooh La La and Pink

The Champagne Bars on two of Disney Cruise Line 's ships have their own themes, but they're equally intriguing. Ooh La La, found on Disney Fantasy, is set up like a French boudoir with delightfully lavish decor — think lots of gold, velvet and ornate furniture — with dim lighting that makes you feel almost naughty for stepping inside. Pink, on Disney Dream, carries a bubble theme as an ode to the drink on which it's based. Keep an eye out for pink elephants that dance around the walls every so often.

One of the best cocktails to try at either location is the Icy Pop — a fruity, refreshing ice pop served in a large glass of Champagne.

When it debuted on Celebrity Cruises ' Celebrity Edge in 2018, Eden — a restaurant, bar, deli and performance space all rolled into one venue — had cruisers scratching their heads. A strange, trippy three-hour show that featured acrobats who came a little too close to the audience was complemented by a list of equally curious drinks from the nearby Eden bar.

As notable for their unique ingredients as they are for their eye-wateringly high prices, the drinks — now available on two different menus across the line's Edge Class vessels — are masterfully concocted, featuring some of the most jaw-dropping presentations we've ever seen. Think treasure boxes, smoke and glasses in the shape of apples. It's not just hype, though; every drink on the menu is fantastic.

Royal Caribbean's wine bar, Vintages, is generally one of the line's least crowded bars, which appeals to anyone looking for a quiet drink before dinner. Tastings happen there throughout each sailing, and an extensive wine list makes it easy to find something you'll enjoy during other times of the day. Even if you're not a wino, Vintages — often found in Central Park on ships that have neighborhoods — also serves tapas that are worth trying if you're feeling peckish. Plus, the laid-back but classy setting makes it the perfect place to sip and socialize.

Sip, the Champagne bar on Virgin Voyages ' ships, is one of the most popular bars on board . Because you have to pass through it to reach the theater, you can't miss it.

Elegantly appointed with creams, tans and jewel tones, it's set up with a bar on one side of the walkway that runs through it and plush, comfortable alcove seating on the other, near windows that provide sea views. It's the place to go to snag a glass of bubbly while you take in live music at night or to enjoy afternoon tea during the day.

Guy's Pig & Anchor Brewhouse

Guy's Pig & Anchor Brewhouse is the place to sip Carnival's exclusive Parched Pig craft brews made by a brewmaster on each ship. There's a smoked porter, farmhouse ale and hoppy IPA, among other selections. If you're indecisive, go with a flight.

The bar is found on Carnival Horizon, Carnival Panorama, Mardi Gras , Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee. The outlets on those ships also offer brewery tours and the opportunity to dive into hickory-smoked barbecue selections from Food Network star Guy Fieri. The RedFrog Pub and Brewery on Carnival Vista has the beers, too, but with pub grub.

Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge

Live out your Star Wars fantasies in the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge on the new 4,000-passenger Disney Wish . The door to this cozy bar whooshes as you enter the space, styled like a luxury space yacht ready to jump between galaxies. (It does so thanks to projections of outer space on "virtual" windows and a top-rate, rumbling sound system.) Order up Coruscant The Chancellor, a cognac cocktail "enjoyed by the senate elite members."

Golden Lion Pub

On Cunard ships, including ocean liner Queen Mary 2, the Golden Lion replicates a real British pub, from the dark wood, leather banquettes and stools to the darts tournaments and pub quizzes. Sample a wide selection of beers and ales, including three craft beers from award-winning U.K. microbrewery Dark Revolution. Or go with a traditional Pimm's Cup (made with a gin-based liquor, fresh fruit and ginger ale). The pub grub menu features fish 'n' chips and bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes).

Located in the main lounge on 228-passenger Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours ' Scenic Eclipse , this bar boasts more than 110 bottles of whisky on the wall, all in a floor-to-ceiling showcase backlit for dramatic effect. Among the golden-brown liquids, you'll find single malts such as a 25-year-old Glendullan, a 30-year-old Jura The Loch and a 16-year-old Lagavulin. Big-name super-premium blends are well represented in a collection that gathers bottles from around the world, including Australia, Japan, France, India, Taiwan, South Africa, the United States, Scotland, Ireland and Sweden. Drinks are included in the cruise fares.

Fortune Teller

Exclusively on Carnival Cruise Line's 5,200-passenger Mardi Gras, the Fortune Teller stands out for its cool New Orleans vibe. It's located in the big ship's French Quarter (where Chef Emeril Lagasse also has his first seagoing bistro) and features creative drinks, Victorian decor and a voodoo allure. Drinks change color, smoke or otherwise impress. The Crystal Ball comes topped with a hazy orb where you might or might not see your future after drinking the concoction of Herradura Silver Tequila, Green Chartreuse, agave nectar and lime.

Related: 8 best drinks to order with a cruise ship beverage package (and 3 to avoid)

Martini Bar & Crush

On most Celebrity Cruises ships, the popular Martini Bars are classy, tucked-away spaces featuring a collection of rare vodkas (and the option of caviar, too) served from an ice-topped bar. The bartenders do more than just pour the drinks; they entertain like Tom Cruise in the movie "Cocktail," flipping and juggling shakers and pouring multiple drinks at once from a stack of them.

On Edge Class ships, the action moves to the Grand Plaza under a breathtaking, color-changing three-deck light fixture. Go with a dirty martini or a Candied Apple (Gray Goose, apple schnapps, pomegranate juice and butterscotch schnapps).

Good Spirits At Sea

Every cocktail at this Princess Cruises bar comes with a story, created in partnership with the TV series Good Spirits. Drinks are made from liquor and other ingredients gathered from around the world, including farm-fresh, local ingredients from cruising destinations. A mixologist does the preparation while giving detailed explanations. Get up-close views of the drink-making on a video screen behind the bar, found on select ships. Sample a Grappa Peach while learning about its origins in Uruguay, or try a Bangkok Mule made with whiskey, ginger and lemongrass.

Founders Bar

If you like your cocktails crafty, the Founders Bar on Oceania 's new Vista will keep you coming back for more. You don't bother with wine or beer there; it's not worth the wait to order anything not on the menu of creative concoctions. Try drinks pumped full of smoke in a box, spritzed with flavor from perfume-style bottles, topped with bubbles from a Flavor Blaster Gun or centered on a frozen fruity ice cube. Don't forget your phone because every beverage is as picturesque as it is delicious.

Gimmicky bars worth a mention

Some cruise ship bars emphasize interesting concepts over quality drinks or, conversely, pour flashy beverages in dull spaces with absolutely no atmosphere. If you're looking for bragging rights or to try something new, check out these entertaining bars that are a one-and-done experience.

Magic Carpet Bar

Each of Celebrity's Edge Class vessels is equipped with a giant orange apparatus on its starboard side. Known as the Magic Carpet, it can move up and down the side of the ship, where it serves various functions (including a tender platform), depending on the deck on which it stops.

When it's positioned on Deck 14, near the pool, or Deck 5, when it turns into an open-air dining venue, the Magic Carpet is a great place for passengers to grab a drink. Although the beverages aren't anything particularly notable, the atmosphere is spectacular, offering drool-worthy views, comfortable seating and an ocean breeze, sometimes with live music to boot.

Rising Tide Bar

On Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class ships , this popular bar moves smoothly up and down three decks on a slow, 20-minute ride. There are seats for 32 imbibers who sip as they travel between the bustling Royal Promenade and tree-lined Central Park. The popular drink: A Kir Royale (creme de cassis and Champagne). You must be at least 21 to take a ride in this elevator. It's fun to try, but it's not a place people tend to return to again and again.

Related: Are drinks packages on cruise ships worth the price?

SKYY Vodka Ice Bar

Who doesn't want to put on a parka in the Caribbean? On select Norwegian Cruise Line ships, you'll want to bundle up for this icy bar, located in a chamber always kept at 17 degrees Fahrenheit and decorated with ice sculptures and cool color lights. You sit on ice blocks while bartenders serve average vodka drinks on ice and in ice glasses.

Royal Caribbean's Quantum Class ships, as well as the Oasis Class' Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas, take drink-making out of the hands of human bartenders and put it into the hands — or, rather, robotic arms — of machines. The robots, with names such as Rock'Em and Sock'Em, can't make every drink in the book, but they can shake up a signature Bionic Tea (think: Long Island Iced Tea), sliding it to you across a bar top. Order your selections by communicating via a smartpad. George Jetson would be impressed.

Although the robots are fun to watch, the messy and impersonal experience does not make you want to hang out for hours at this futuristic watering hole.

Metropolitan Bar

On Norwegian Cruise Line's new Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva , this sustainability-focused bar specializes in handcrafted zero-waste cocktails. The idea is to combine surplus ingredients with sustainable spirits in creative ways. The signature Primadonna, a take on an Old-Fashioned, is made with surplus banana peels and Flor De Cana rum, which is produced with 100% renewable energy. There's also a line of responsibly sourced botanical gins and 20 biodynamic wines produced via organic farming methods. While we love the concept, the ambience is lacking, which is likely why the Metropolitan Bar was frequently uncrowded.

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Bangor Daily News

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The era of large cruise ship visits to Bar Harbor might soon end

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Unless another court ruling overturns Bar Harbor’s new cruise ship limits, 2025 is expected to be the last year that large passenger ships drop anchor in Frenchman Bay.

But it could be sooner than that — or may have already passed — if a judge decides that the town must enforce the new limits this year.

“Large” can be a relative term when the smallest cruise ships that visit Bar Harbor are more than 200 feet long and can accommodate 100 paid passengers. Most of the ships that visit Bar Harbor, Maine’s busiest cruise ship port, are closer to 1,000 feet long and carry between 1,800 and 4,000 passengers per voyage.

It is these larger ships that effectively will be banned from visiting the tourist destination when the town’s new daily limit of 1,000 passengers per day  starts being enforced. Of Bar Harbor’s current 104 cruise ship visits scheduled for this year, 70 would be prohibited if the daily limit was to go into effect before May 2, when the first large ship of the year, carrying nearly 2,400 passengers, is expected to arrive.

Of the ships that will still be allowed, most carry approximately 100 to 200 passengers and rarely do two of them appear in Bar Harbor on the same day. As a result, the town most likely will get only a couple hundred passengers ashore on cruise ship days — below the daily 1,000-passenger limit and far below the 2,000 to 5,000 passengers that have sometimes come ashore when multiple ships are in town at the same time.

But when the new limit will be fully enforced is a heated subject of debate  in Bar Harbor, where the council says it will honor reservations made by large ships before voters approved the new limits on Nov. 8, 2022. Charles Sidman , a local resident who spearheaded the referendum vote, is taking the town to court to try to legally compel it to enforce the cap now.

In addition, a coalition of local businesses is challenging the new daily limit in federal court, arguing that it runs counter to federal maritime law and is unfairly onerous. A federal judge upheld the new daily limit  in February, but the business group has said it intends to appeal the decision.

Regardless of which entity prevails in court, the number of annual cruise ship visits to Bar Harbor, which gets millions of visitors each year who arrive each year by car or bus, already is declining and likely will never regain the volume of recent years.

Outside the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 — when the global cruise ship industry ground to a halt and no ships came to Bar Harbor  — the town recently has averaged roughly 150 visits each year, all between late April and early November, and received an annual total between 200,000 and 250,000 passengers. This year, even if large ships are allowed, the town will get fewer than 200,000 passengers for the first time — apart from 2020 and 2021 — since 2016.

After cruise ships first started showing up sporadically off Bar Harbor in the 1980s, their numbers jumped above 50 per year in 2001 and then above 100 per year in 2008. The town’s first year with more than 100,000 cruise ship passengers was in 2004, when it welcomed 87 ships into Frenchman Bay.

Along the way, the town has worked with local cruise industry officials to find ways to manage the flow of passengers to and from the downtown waterfront. It moved anchorage points in the bay behind the Porcupine Islands to make the ships less visually imposing from downtown, and tried making adjustments to how tour buses come and go from West Street to relieve traffic congestion, even as the number of visits consistently increased over time.

But as complaints continued to come in, the town decided in 2021 — when annual visits to Acadia National Park soared to more than 4 million  — to conduct a survey to ask local people what they thought about local cruise ship traffic. More than half  of the survey’s respondents said the volume of cruise ship visits was hurting the town.

With the writing on the wall, both town officials and local cruise industry officials began discussing how to reduce the number  of large ships that visit each year.

Together, they came up with a plan to impose a daily passenger cap of 3,800 passengers for May, June, September and October, and a daily cap of 3,500 for July and August. They also agreed on monthly caps of 30,000 passengers in May and June, 40,000 in July and August, and 65,000 in September and October.

But Sidman’s 2022 citizens’ petition effort, which led to the November referendum that year, derailed that plan.

For now, with Bar Harbor officials saying they plan to honor large cruise ship reservations made prior to the November 8, 2022 vote, the number of visits scheduled for 2025 stands at 18, all of which are large ships that together would bring nearly 57,000 ship passengers to town between late August and early October. The Regal Princess, which carries 3,560 passengers, would be the final large ship to visit Bar Harbor, on Oct. 28, 2025.

All large ship reservation requests that have come in since residents approved the daily 1,000-passenger cap have been denied, according to town officials.

More articles from the BDN

Bill trotter.

A news reporter in coastal Maine for more than 20 years, Bill Trotter writes about how the Atlantic Ocean and the state's iconic coastline help to shape the lives of coastal Maine residents and visitors.... More by Bill Trotter

I sailed on Royal Caribbean's 2 largest cruise ships. They were shockingly similar for the $1,000 difference

• Royal Caribbean operates many of the cruise industry's biggest ships.
• Icon of the Seas  launched in January, dethroning its predecessor, Wonder of the Seas, as the world's largest.
• Here's how the two mega-ships compare in size, neighborhoods, amenities, dining, cabins, and costs.

Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's new mega-cruise ship darling, was deemed a success before it was even built.

In January, the highly anticipated vessel — complete with more than 40 bars and restaurants, a six-slide waterpark, and a waterfall — set sail, dethroning its less than two-year-old precursor, the Wonder of the Seas , as the world's largest cruise ship.

Before its debut, Michael Bayley, the president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, had already repeatedly called Icon its "best-selling product" yet. The company experienced its largest booking day ever when reservations opened for Icon of the Seas more than a year before its launch, it said

Despite all of this fanfare, you might be surprised by how similar it is to its predecessor.

I've sailed on both ships. Let's see how Icon and Wonder compare in six categories: size, neighborhoods, amenities, dining, cabins, and costs.

Both ships stunt the size of their competitors.

Wonder of the Seas debuted in 2022 as the then-world's largest cruise liner, measuring 235,600 gross-tons, 1,188 feet-long, and 18 decks-tall. The ship can accommodate up to 9,288 people, including 2,204 crew.

Icon of the Seas is, comparatively, 13,063 gross-tons heavier, eight feet longer, and two decks taller. It can sail up to 9,950 people, including 2,350 crew, although it's 52 feet less wide than its predecessor.

Both vessels feel more like amusement parks than traditional cruise ships.

Royal Caribbean invited me on complimentary, non-revenue sailings on both ships: two nights on Wonder in late 2022 and three nights on Icon in January.

I spent most of my time lost, overwhelmed, and exhausted.

It's no surprise both ships are operating weeklong itineraries this year. Any less, and you might not have time to experience all the activities and restaurants on your list.

Like other Royal Caribbean ships, Wonder and Icon have eight 'neighborhoods' that serve separate purposes.

The new ship shares three of Wonder of the Seas' neighborhoods : Central Park, Royal Promenade, and Suite.

Icon's other five — Thrill Island , Surfside, Hideaway, Chill Island, and AquaDome — are a first for the cruise line.

Many of the ships' amenities overlap, but in differing quantities.

Wonder has three waterslides. Icon has a six-slide waterpark complete with rafting and racing options.

Both have increasingly popular cruise amenities like decks-long dry slides, mini-golf courses, rock climbing walls, and playgrounds.

But instead of Wonder of the Seas' zipline , Icon of the Seas has Crown's Edge, a thrilling agility course with a small zipline that leaves travelers dangling 154 feet above the ocean.

Wonder’s Boardwalk neighborhood was my go-to.

Boardwalk delivered exactly as it had promised: an open-air space grounded by wood-planked floors, a hot dog stand, a sweets store, and kitschy, colorful decor.

Icon of the Seas' Surfside , designed for families with young children, felt like its closest dupe.

Both neighborhoods had a carousel, an outdoor playground, and family-friendly dining. But Surfside was more toddler-friendly, as suggested by the children's water play area and nighttime story readings.

On to entertainment: Both mega-ships have ice skating performances and exciting multi-disciplinary shows at the AquaTheater.

But travelers who enjoy musicals at sea will want to stick to Icon.

Unlike its predecessor, the new ship shows a rendition of Broadway hit "The Wizard of Oz" — Munchkins, a puppet Toto, and a 16-piece live band included.

The layout of Icon's amenities were better than its cousin.

Some of Wonder of the Seas' enticing outdoor amenities — like the surf simulator, zipline, and mini-golf course — are clustered on the deck above and away from the pools and water slides.

This layout might be difficult for parents with children who bounce from one activity to the next. Wouldn't it be easier to have all of these outdoor extras near each other, or at least on the same deck, for parental supervision purposes?

This is where Icon of the Seas excelled: All its exciting open-air activities were adjacent.

The rows of pools flowed perfectly into Thrill Island's waterpark , rock climbing walls, mini-golf course, and Crown's Edge.

The best part? The adult-only Hideaway — which flexes an infinity pool club with a DJ — is right behind Thrill Island, creating a clear separation between parents and their children without being too far from each other.

'Free' options like the buffet and build-your-own tacos and burritos bar are available on both ships.

But you won't find the larger vessel's five-stall food hall or mini-golf-adjacent finger food stand on Wonder.

As expected, Icon of the Seas has more dining options than its predecessor, although there are some overlaps.

Wonder of the Seas has 11 bars and 21 dining venues (9 complimentary and 12 upcharged).

Icon of the Seas has eight more bars, four more complimentary restaurants, and three more specialty dining choices.

Nor will you find the new ship’s plush $200-a-person Empire Supper Club on any other cruise liner.

The multi-course dinner, paired with cocktails and live music, stunts the cost of either vessel's other dinner options.

But if you love Johnny Rockets, you’ll be disappointed by Icon of the Seas.

Restaurants like the popular burger chain and Southern comfort-inspired Mason Jar are only on Wonder of the Seas. Fine by me: My fried chicken at Mason Jar was as dry as a desert.

The younger ship doesn't have Wonder's robot bartender-armed bar either. It does, however, have new watering holes with dueling pianos and live jazz.

Surprisingly, Wonder of the Seas has 65 more cabins than its new cousin.

But several of Icon's 28 stateroom categories are a first for the cruise line.

This includes the new family infinite balcony cabin, which has a small bunk bed nook for children.

Royal Caribbean assigned me an ocean-view balcony stateroom on both ships.

My Wonder of the Seas' cabin was 20 square-feet smaller than the one on Icon. But my bathroom on the latter was so tiny, I accidentally elbowed the walls at almost every turn.

Sailing on the world's largest cruise ship doesn't mean you'll have the world's largest cabin after all.

Wonder and Icon are both operating seven-night roundtrip itineraries from Florida to the Caribbean.

In 2024, Wonder of the Seas is scheduled for year-round sailings from Port Canaveral to the Caribbean and Royal Caribbean's private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay , starting at $700 per person.

Icon of the Seas is spending its first year in service operating nearly identical itineraries but from Miami instead. The cheapest 2024 option is $1,786 per person.

That's a difference of more than $125 per person per day.

"Bookings and pricing for Icon of the Seas can only be described as 'iconic,'" Naftali Holtz, the CFO of Royal Caribbean Group, told analysts in February.

Icon of the Seas’ name speaks for itself.

If your family is looking for a jam-packed kid-friendly cruise with enough amenities to stay entertained for a week, both ships are a great option.

But if you're a seasoned mega-ship-cruiser looking to experience something new, Icon of the Seas is your best bet.

They may be similar, but no other behemoth cruise liner has a waterpark for children and a pool club for adults just dozens of feet from each other.

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Bar Harbor businesses appeal decision in cruise ship lawsuit

A group of Bar Harbor business owners are appealing a district court decision allowing the town to limit cruise ship visitors.

Residents approved a petition two years ago to limit the number of cruise ship passengers who can disembark to 1,000 a day.

The referendum passed with 58% of residents voting in support.

Eben Salvatore is a member of the Association to Preserve and Protect Local Livelihoods, which sued the town over the ordinance.

"Well, we hope to just get back to a place where we can discuss and decide as a community, what's best for everybody," he said. "This particular action was what was best for a very certain narrow group. It's harmful to so many people."

Town Council Chair Valerie Peacock says the town was not surprised by the appeal, but will defend the court's decision. Rules for the 1,000 person daily limit are in the works.

Love Exploring

30 Genius Hacks To Upgrade Your Cruise

Posted: February 17, 2024 | Last updated: February 17, 2024

Have a luxury cruise for less

Be stateroom savvy

These days, most cruise lines publish detailed deck plans on their websites, so take time to study them before booking your room. We’re huge fans of Holland America’s color-coded downloadable deck plans, which use symbols to indicate cabin pros and cons, including obstructed views, half-height windows and accessibility. Can’t see a deck plan on the website? Email the cruise line and ask. Cabins with obstructed views can come with hefty discounts and the obstruction could be as little as a dangling line of rigging.

Opt for an older model

Dozens of new cruise ships are launched every year and you’ll almost always pay a premium to bag a cabin on the newest vessel. But don’t be too influenced by hype. Yes, your favorite line’s shiniest ship might have robot butlers, an indoor ski slope and five helipads (we’re slightly exaggerating), but take time to think about which amenities you’ll actually use before splashing the cash. Plus, the newest ships aren’t always the most exciting: Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas launched back in 2008 and serves up glow-in-the-dark laser tag, one of the largest water parks at sea and the Bionic Bar, where drinks are poured by androids.

Board with bubbles

A lot of cruise-goers don’t realise that most cruise lines allow passengers to bring some of their own alcohol onboard, so always research your cruise’s regulations. Just be aware that most lines also stipulate that this alcohol must be consumed in your cabin – if it’s consumed in public areas, corkage fees will be imposed. Celebrity Cruises allows every passenger to bring two bottles of wine onboard on embarkation day and P&O Cruises allows one liter of beer, wine or spirits per person.

Enjoy all-inclusive eating

Most cruise ships have at least two restaurants in which you can dine for free – typically a buffet restaurant and a more formal dining room with an à la carte menu. Additionally there are often pop up-style options, such as the poolside pizza place found on Holland America's Koningsdam. Royal Caribbean ships are known for their wide range of restaurants and a special mention goes to Anthem of the Seas. The liner has seven venues, including Italian, Mediterranean and all-American outlets, at which guests can dine for free.

Seek out a sanctuary

Worried about bagging that poolside sun lounger or nabbing the best spot for the sunset? Give yourself a head start by splashing out on access to exclusive areas of the deck. Perks range from butler service and spa treatments to chilled face towels and poolside cabanas. One of our favorites is Royal Caribbean’s new-for-2022 Suite Neighborhood, which comes with 5-star dining and an infinity plunge pool. Norwegian Cruise Line’s version is The Haven, often referred to as a ship-within-a-ship. Book a Haven cabin and you’ll get butler service, priority disembarkation and access to a private sundeck.

Generally, the cheapest cabins are the ones lowest on the ship, but being nearer sea level isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’re on a transatlantic cruise or spending long periods at sea, you’re less likely to be bothered about the view from your balcony. And bear in mind that passengers on upper floors are more likely to experience seasickness, due to the greater range of sideways motion.

Spruce up your cabin

Book a chauffeur

Don’t assume that chauffeur packages come with eye-watering price tags. Work out the cost of parking and gas if you're driving to the port or the fare if you’re booking a cab, then compare it with your chosen cruise line’s chauffeur prices. It's very possible there won’t be much difference, and these services often come with swoon-worthy extras like early embarkation and staff to deal with your luggage.

Join cruise events for free drinks

Regardless of whether you're bothered about meeting the captain or listening to a lecture about your cruise line’s latest destinations, doing so can pay major dividends. Events like the captain’s cocktail hour, art auctions and flash sales at onboard boutiques often come with complimentary drinks and nibbles. Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch?

Book a speciality restaurant

Speciality dining doesn’t have to break the bank as the extra fees are often minimal. Royal Caribbean, Silversea and Norwegian all have brilliant speciality restaurants for guests willing to fork out a little more, but it's not just the luxury lines that offer a wide range of eateries. On Virgin Voyages you'll have dozens of restaurants to choose from, all included in the basic fare, from the Pink Agave Mexican restaurant to Gunbae, where diners can cook their own steaks at a grill built into every table, and Extra Virgin, a beautiful trattoria with a private dining room.

Embrace room service

Many cruise lines, such as Princess Cruises and Holland America, offer room service at no extra cost. It’s a win-win situation – you start the day with an in-room feast and the cruise line reduces overcrowding in its most popular restaurants. Windstar Cruises is just one example of a line that goes above and beyond for in-cabin dining. There are no extra charges, the service is available 24 hours a day and the menu from flagship restaurant Amphora can be ordered during dinner hours.

Be clever with kids

Thinking of a multi-generational vacation? Save your hard-earned cash by booking cheaper cabins for certain members of your entourage. Kids and teens are much less likely to spend a lot of time in their cabins – let alone on the balcony you forked out for – when there are roller-skating rinks, water slides and go-karting circuits to check out. Often it is possible to book an inside cabin directly across the corridor from your balcony cabin so you can still keep an eye on them while saving money.

Upgrade your alcohol

We love cruise lines that offer complimentary alcoholic drinks, but some tipples will likely be excluded – like Champagne and premium spirits. If you’re partial to particular beverages your line might offer premium packages – Princess Cruises, for example, offers a Princess Premier package which includes a much wider range. Another tip? If you’ve got a weakness for certain wines, save money by buying a bottle rather than a glass and asking your waiter to cork it and keep it behind the bar for you.

Ask your steward

Don’t underestimate the power wielded by your cabin steward. Ask nicely and he or she can transform your cruise, whether it’s by doing the nightly turndown service at your preferred time, providing extra toiletries and a bathrobe or helping you bag your favorite restaurant’s most sought-after table. It's those little extras that can make your vacation feel more lavish.

Shout about your special occasion

Most cruise lines will be more than happy to help passengers mark special occasions, whether it’s with complimentary birthday cakes, bottles of fizz or spa treatments. Email the customer service team well in advance to inform them of any occasions, and we’re not just talking about birthdays and honeymoons. Is it your first time sailing with that particular cruise line or the 10-year anniversary of your first cruise? In a crowded market, cruise lines are keener than ever to stop passengers straying to other operators, and are often only too happy to roll out perks to do so.

Formulate a spa strategy

If you’re planning to log a lot of spa time, book a cruise that offers complimentary access to spa facilities and keep an eye out for onboard spa events, often including skincare masterclasses that focus on certain brands. Yes, these events are often designed to draw you into purchases, but there’s no obligation to buy and therapists typically offer complimentary mini-treatments during these sessions. Another great hack is to book spa treatments during port days – Princess Cruises is one of many lines to offer discounts at these times to encourage passengers to visit outside peak periods.

Search for secret decks

Many modern cruise ships make the Titanic look tiny, and there's often more decks than you know to explore. Sure, deck number nine might be a great spot from which to soak up evening views and deck seven might boast the most sun loungers, but to avoid the crowds the lower decks should certainly be on your radar. They’re usually darker with less lighting, which means they’re great for stargazing sessions, and in rougher seas you’ll feel significantly less motion on decks closer to the waterline.

Choose the perfect pillow

Pillow menus are increasingly common on cruise ships (Disney Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines all have them) but don’t be afraid to request a certain type of pillow if you don’t find a menu in your cabin. There will almost always be harder or softer options available, and it’s another reason to stay on good terms with your cabin steward.

Enjoy a midnight snack

You’re on vacation, so normal rules don’t apply. Treat yourself to a midnight feast by ordering your favorite dessert after hours or snacking on those cookies you picked up from the buffet. Love those pillow chocolates your cabin steward dishes out every night? Don’t be afraid to ask for a few extras.

Skip shore excursions...

You're not obliged to sign up for every available shore excursion. Port days are often the best days to chill out onboard: enjoy some downtime in the crowd-free lounges, treat yourself to some stressless retail therapy or do a few laps of the swimming pool. Spending huge amounts of time – and money – dragging yourself around every excursion in the calendar is hardly a one-way ticket to relaxation.

...or arrange your own

On the flipside, don’t be afraid to go it alone. Cruise lines are looking to make money, after all, and you’ll be able to find huge savings by booking your own activities and tours. This applies to almost any type of excursion – even if it’s a simple, self-guided trip on a scenic cable car or train, you’ll almost always pay extra.

Time for tea

Don’t assume you’ll need to fork out a fortune to enjoy a decadent afternoon tea – you’ll often find it's included in the price. Sail on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and your fare covers daily afternoon teas in the Queens Room or Grills Lounge (we recommend the former, famous for its enormous crystal chandeliers). On Seabourn cruises it's the same and the buffet-style tea sessions come with a mind-boggling range of teas including mandarin, rose and ginger varieties.

Avoid pitch and roll

Nothing will ruin your cruise quicker than a bout of seasickness. If you’re prone to motion-related nausea purchase anti-sickness tablets in advance, or, if you’re caught unawares, ask for some at guest services. You’re less likely to feel the ship’s movement in lower cabins, at the rear of the ship and in the center. Don’t be afraid to ask to change cabins mid-cruise either.

Seek out family-friendly deals

If you’re planning a cruise with younger relatives, there are countless lines that offer promotions which can see kids sail for free (MSC Cruises, Holland America, Norwegian and others), as long as they’re in your cabin, sleeping in either bunk beds or a pull-out bed. These deals can result in huge savings, although bear in mind that younger guests will still incur taxes and port fees.

Remember that bigger isn’t always better

Get more bang for your buck by opting for a cruise on a smaller ship. Fewer passengers means more space at key facilities like the spa, buffet restaurant and poolside, while events often feel more luxurious and intimate. Consider, for instance, the Windstar Cruises alfresco deck barbecue which takes place on every trip. Expect enormous vats of seafood paella and a whole roasted pig, which you can tuck into at tables draped with crisp linens dotted around the deck.

Stay connected

Cruises are perfect for a digital detox, but at some point you'll probably want to send photos to loved ones or check in on the news. If you’re planning to purchase an internet package, we’d advise against buying deals that detail a certain number of megabytes or hours. Ship-based connectivity is improving but it can still be sketchy at sea, and nothing’s worse than watching your allowance drain away while you wait for an email to send. Packages allowing unlimited use for the day or the whole cruise tend to offer the best value for money – typically costing around $12 a day. And if you do opt for a timed package, remember you may have to log off in order to stop the clock. The other option is to buy a data package that allows you to use your phone while in port for a much lower cost than using ship Wi-Fi. 

Shower in the spa

Do drinks-related research

Most cruise lines offer a wide range of drinks packages to cater to every type of passenger, so have a peruse before you pick. Celestyal Cruises, for instance, offer a $29-a-day Platinum All-Inclusive Package containing 101 different cocktails, liqueurs, aperitifs, premium wines, energy drinks and more, a $16-a-day Non-Alcoholic Package which includes pressed juices, milkshakes, smoothies and ice cream and a $10-a-day Kids Refreshing Package offering mocktails, milkshakes, hot cocoa and ice cream. Just don’t blame us when the sugar rush kicks in…

Double check what’s included

Before you choose your cruise or splash out on added extras, always check what’s included as standard – you’ll often get a pleasant surprise. For example, Silversea offers one hour of free internet a day in some cabin categories, while numerous cruise lines (Viking, for one) include excursions in the base fare.

Shop the sales

If you're in the planning stage of your cruise, it’s worth signing up for newsletters that can tip you off about one-off promotions and sales. You can often enjoy added extras without forking out huge sums: notable examples include Norwegian’s regular Free at Sea promotion, Holland America’s seasonal upgrade sales and Princess Cruises' Best Sale Ever event.

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