This is day three of my four-night, five-day cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas. This is also my second Royal Caribbean cruise, following a December 2023 trip which was the same itinerary: Singapore, Penang, and Phuket, just a different ship (Cruise Review: Royal Caribbean 4-Night Cruise Review: Singapore – Penang – Phuket).

Planning your own Royal Caribbean cruise?

On Day One, we embarked from Singapore. Day Two was spent in Penang. And today, we woke up to the stunning shores of Phuket. Unlike Penang, where we arrived in the afternoon, we reached Phuket before I’d even woken up. This meant a full day of exploring, eating, and experiencing everything the island had to offer.

Phuket port is a tender situation where the port is too shallow for the cruise ship to dock directly to the land. This means you have to board a small boat to the mainland. On a previous cruise that I had taken with Norwegian to the Panama Canal the only tender stop required them to use the yellow lifeboats. These are very small and most uncomfortable because you feel all the waves. Fortunately the tenders being used here are proper passenger boats.

A Brief History of Phuket

Phuket isn’t just about beautiful beaches—it has a rich history. Once a major tin-mining hub, the island has seen centuries of influence from both Thai and Chinese communities. One of the most famous historical events was the defence of Phuket against a Burmese invasion in 1785, led by two sisters, Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Sri Soontorn. Their bravery is commemorated in a monument that you can visit during shore excursions.

Adjust Your Clock

Before stepping off the cruise ship, remember to adjust your clock to local time, which is GMT+7. You don’t want to accidentally miss your shore excursion or, worse, the last tender boat back to the ship!

Where Does Royal Caribbean Dock in Phuket?

Your docking location depends on the time of year:

• Mid-April to Mid-October – Deep Sea Port
• End of October to Mid-April – Patong Beach (via tender boat)

For this trip, we anchored offshore near Patong Beach, the island’s busiest area. Since there isn’t a port large enough for the ship to dock directly, passengers are ferried to shore via tender boats. If you want to maximise your time in Phuket, queue for tender tickets at least 30 minutes before your assigned slot. The boats run every 30 minutes from Level 2 of the ship.

Once you reach Patong Beach, be prepared for the chaos. It’s a lively area filled with markets, bars, and restaurants—but also an overwhelming number of touts, which brings me to my next point.

Watch Out for the Aggressive Touts

The moment you step onto the pier, expect to be swarmed by touts trying to sell you taxis, tours, and souvenirs. It can be intense, especially if you’re not used to this kind of pressure. My advice? Have a plan before you step off the boat. Book your excursions in advance or know exactly how you want to get around. If you need a taxi, use a ride-hailing app like Grab instead of negotiating on the street.

Be especially cautious of scams—some touts will claim certain shops or attractions are “closed” to steer you toward their own businesses. Often, these claims aren’t true. If you’re unsure, double-check online or ask a reputable vendor.

Last cruise we were one of the first group of passengers to get a tender. However, this time we didn’t leave until about 10.30am by which time there was not so much of a bun fight around the pier.

There was also a reminder to get back to the ship on time. The beauty of a cruise is in its seamless travels, but you’ve got to stay on top of your schedule. Remember, the tender boats back to the ship often run on a set timetable. Make sure you know the return time and give yourself plenty of time to get back to the dock. It’s easy to get lost in the excitement of Phuket, but your ship won’t wait! Keep an eye on the time and plan your day accordingly to avoid any last-minute rush.

Set a reminder on your phone! The last thing you want is to be running down the pier while your cruise sails away.

Shore Excursions Available from Royal Caribbean in Phuket

Royal Caribbean offers a variety of shore excursions, catering to different interests:

• Sea Cave Canoe Adventure – Paddle through stunning sea caves in Phang Nga Bay.
• Phuket Highlights Tour – Visit iconic landmarks and enjoy cliffside views.
• Panoramic Tour – Explore Phuket’s temples, monuments, and charming towns.
• Best of Phuket with Lunch – A full-day experience covering cultural sites and local cuisine.
• Phuket Landmarks – Discover the island’s most important historical and religious sites.
• Phang Nga Bay by Long-Tail Boat – Cruise through one of Thailand’s most famous landscapes and visit a floating village.
• Phuket Sightseeing & Cabaret Extravaganza – Experience Karon Beach, Chalong Temple, and a lively cabaret show.

If you prefer to arrange your own activities, just be mindful of time and transport. I’d personally recommend avoiding the so-called elephant sanctuaries unless you’re certain they follow ethical practices.

Have you been on a Phuket shore excursion? Share your experience in the comments below—I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Making the Most of the Day

Here’s how our day in Phuket unfolded:

8:30 AM – Breakfast on the ship. Once again this was at the main dining room. We had breakfast at a leisurely pace this morning as we knew we were only going to disembark much later in the morning.
9:30 AM – Wandered around the ship, enjoying the morning at a relaxed pace.

10:35 AM – Took a tender boat to Phuket. Since we weren’t rushing for an excursion, we waited for the later boats to avoid long queues.

Here’s a video of the tender to Patong, Phuket Thailand

It was nice of them to put a reminder up as to when we needed to be back at the ship!

Midday – Decided to visit a shopping mall that was supposedly a 20-minute walk away. With kids in tow and the intense heat, we ended up taking a Grab car instead—definitely the right choice!

We went to a nearby mall which was supposedly 20 minutes walk when you have to carry children ended up being a lot longer so on the way we gave up and took grab it was so hot and that turned out to be the right decision in the end

Lunch – The food court in the mall was a letdown. The quality was poor, and the payment system required loading a store-value card with cash, which was inconvenient.

In the mall, there was a food court in the basement which was very very disappointing. Not just for the quality of the food but also the way in which you had to pay some cash so you had to use a store value card.

4:00 PM – Took a Grab back to Patong Pier, making sure we had plenty of time before the last tender boat. We made it back plenty of time to spare this time. And I was able to grab this long distance photo of the Anthem of the Seas from Patong Pier.

4:10 PM – The crew greeted us with cold drinks halfway down the pier—much appreciated after walking in the heat! It’s quite a long way down the pier so it took a bit of time to actually get to the tender. But by 4.10pm we were on our way back to the Anthem of the Seas. And were back on the ship by about 4.30pm went straight to our rooms to quickly freshen up before heading for our early 4.45pm dinner.
4:45 PM – Quick freshen-up in our cabin before heading to early dinner, which was once again in the main dining room. It wasn’t particularly busy as I think there were probably quite a lot of people still on excursions. They had a Korean chicken special that was delivered with our main course but we had ordered so much food that I couldn’t eat it.
7:45 PM – Dropped by Adventure Ocean After dinner around about 7.45pm we made our way back to the Adventure Ocean where we stayed for about half an hour. Before heading around the ship to see what entertainment was available at that time of night. We saw the Music Hall had a live band and spent about half an hour there before heading back to the cabin for the night … or until we went back to Sorrentos to get another pizza!

This is also the day you should select your departure time, which range from very very early to watch much later.

Final Thoughts

Phuket is a fantastic destination, but the experience at Patong Beach is mixed. The seafront is lined with casual restaurants and bars, but venture further in, and you’ll find an overwhelming number of drinking establishments. If I’m being honest, it felt a bit seedy. If you really want to experience the best of Phuket, I’d recommend booking a tour that takes you away from Patong. Whether it’s Phang Nga Bay, a cultural landmark, or a scenic beach away from the crowds, there’s much more to see beyond the tourist hustle of Patong.

Get ready for Day 4: The Day At Sea!