KristiZ

That's my mom's favorite!

I’ve seen that when some of the people you’re trying to book are signed up for traditional dining rather than My Time

That's not completely true. One place it is expected is "rounding up" on taxi fare if you pay with cash. That way no one has to dig around for jingly change. And watch out for auto-grat in big tourist hotels and restaurants!

Yes

Only if you have a ton of luggage or want to make the trip on a national holiday

See you there!

Personally I'd stay in Panama City just because there are a lot more choice of hotel. If you're only flying in the day before to make sure you make the cruise, stay at one of the Alderbrook Mall or Malecon hotels. There are a number of private car transfer options from Panama City to Colon (I like comparing on Rome2Rio), to include Uber. The trip takes about an hour.

Honestly I was a bit underwhelmed by Santorini. Super glad I went, enjoyed our full day tour, but completely not interested in returning for a land visit. It's a desert rock that is insanely overpopulated during tourist season. Stay in Athens!

No, but some ships offer a cruise-long pass to the thermal suite

Will you be blogging? We're doing this same thing, in the opposite order, Oct 2026

The issue is returning to the US if you don’t hold a prescription. Not worth the chance of getting caught

No prescription stuff

Welcome to the boards! That box allows them to use facial recognition to group all your photos that are taken by the ship’s photographers together for you to view and/or purchase.

Specialty dining packages - Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Plus these articles: Search | Royal Caribbean Blog

Your plan sounds solid. Many places take credit cards now (although you are right about Amex, it's much harder to use). Worst case, you can use an ATM to get additional euros part way through the trip

It’s actually a separate excursion. On my sailing it’s called “White Pass Legacy Club Luxury Railway Experience”

2nd question is actually... did you turn it off and then on again?

Boarding the ship in Rome is quite straightforward. Just make sure you fly in at least a day early -- although it sounds like you will already be in Rome? If you have a lot of bags, opt for a private car. They are spendy but the peace of mind is worth it. If you're traveling light the train is a great option. You could also switch to a hotel closer to the port for the last night and just grab an Uber or taxi from there.

I don't think you'll have an issue with a 1:50 departure. If everything is normal you should be able to start debarking by 7:30 at the latest. Last time we were in Rome we got off at 7:05 and were getting in our taxi at 7:25

We did that on Allure over Christmas two years ago. Worked like a charm. I think they open at noon.

On Santorini we used Efi for a private tour. She was great! [email protected]

This Candy Sushi-Making class just popped up on my November Harmony cruise. I thought it was a fun idea!

Welcome to the boards! I you have the app installed, switch to the first AK sailing of the year on your ship and watch for the menus to populate (should be about 30 days prior, perhaps earlier). That will be your most accurate option for figuring them out.

Aug 1 2025 - Freedom Nov 2 2025 - Harmony Jul 10 2026 - Ovation Oct 15 2026 - Independence Oct 24 2026 - Independence

On the website, click on your name in the upper right corner of the cruise planner, then select Order History. Not sure about the app.