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If you check a previous cruise compass for your ship, you will be able to check Day 1 hours of operation for specific activity areas and eateries. That will give you an idea of what you can do while you are waiting and where you might eat if the WJ is too crowded for lunch as noted by @JLMoran . Some venues might be 11:15 while others are 11:30 or 12:00. For first-time cruisers on the Harmony, they typically have a video about 2:30 that explains the various areas of the ship and kills a bit of time before the muster drill.

Another option, if your main interest in Chops is ordering steak, is to order the Chops steak in the MDR with an up-charge. The price may vary with promotions, but it is cheaper than Chops by itself. If you can locate a recent MDR menu, you'll see what I mean.

My experience is that if I tell the wait staff when I need to leave for the show, they make an effort to get me out in time. I can't recall missing a show. One hour 15 minutes is doable to arrive at 8:10 (allowing "travel time" on a large ship of 10 minutes). I also agree with @GA Cruiser about using other dining venues. (In the MDR, one can always skip dessert since other venues offer sweets.)

Understood. I'd take two suitcases and cross-pack some clothes in case one gets lost. It has happened to us.....

Maybe try back to back trips non-suite if you have the vacation time -- more bang for your buck that way!?

I have a standard list which I edit for particular trips. I pack day clothes and night clothes assuming I wear pants and shirts twice. A major factor is the number of nights of the cruise and any pre/post hotel stays. It is easier to pack for 7 nights than 14, obviously. In terms of extra stuff, I have generally given up lugging around heavy books to read as most ships have a library, but I do pack a light magazine or two or a foreign language paperback if appropriate. Another decision is whether to pack snorkel gear (yes for Caribbean, no for Europe). Anyway, you'll have fun, and 90 days out isn't too soon. I try to edit my list as soon as I get back from my previous trip -- everything is fresh in my mind. Enjoy your cruise.

You can try being a "walk in", which would probably mean going early (5-530ish). The wait shoudn't be too bad, but one can never predict the future. Or you could take the kids to another venue for their early dinner, then circle back for your dinner at the scheduled time (until you can change it) while the kids have a 2nd dessert? When we had My Time Dining, they encouraged us to keep our table from Night 1 and pick a regular time so we could have the same wait staff. That usually worked out although we selected a table with other guests, who didn't always show up.

Concur, I've heard of a lot of security issues in Panama.

Great answers by others, but save this for down the road: When you reach Diamond, you will have three "drink vouchers" on your Sea Pass for Happy Hour, so you will be able to get a free drink or two for yourself and another for your guest who may not be Diamond-eligible. And you may re-think the unlimited drinks if you mostly drink around meal times....spending the $$ instead on unlimited dining...

I enjoy the bats or monkeys hanging from the ceiling with my "lost" sunglasses!

You might want to check whether it is refundable or not. If refundable, you don't need to spend it on this cruise (I am always thinking of the next one!). To spend it now, the other suggestions have been good. Personally, I like Matt's idea of shore excursions.

I would look also for the "off-season", which Matt mentions in his videos. Those sailings may not be sold out, so there is more likely to be a 'sale" price. I have noticed that Galveston is a little cheaper than Port Canaveral, so some of your savings may already be "baked in". The Crown & Anchor Society and the RCCL website both provide information on special deals, but only you can judge if they are special enough. From my perspective, anytime the posted price is less than $100 per night for an inside stateroom (less than $700 for a 7 night cruise), you are getting a good value.That is, the value of the room, food, entertainment, port calls, and other amenities will be less than a standard hotel/resort vacation. Just my opinion. Hope you are able to find a great cruise that meets your needs!

Update: I forgot to mention you can check old cruise compasses for show times. For example, in a recent June trip there was a 9:30 Movie at the Aqua Theater on Day 1. Have a great cruise!

Here is the link to the deck plans for the Symphony. We always do a little research on our ship before the cruise. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/symphony-of-the-seas/deck-plans/1856/03 There have been other discussions about outside movie screens (Aqua Theater) vs. the small inside cinemas on Radiance class ships.

I think you go with the itinerary. We really want to see French Polynesia, and the only practical way is with a smaller vessel, so we are looking at other cruise lines. The Royal itineraries don't visit enough ports there (e.g., they are relocation itineraries).

And it occurred to me that P&O may still have the "midnight buffet"....

I am not tracking how the ship's dining room would be occupied in the wee hours of the morning (Friday). Is anyone else puzzled?

Entonces, hasta Septiembre! I am also counting the days until the 8th, but there is only so many times I can re-read old cruise compasses to optimize our calendar/schedule, which will inevitably change on the ship.

The water taxi is a fixed price. Don't know about the automobiles, but someone here surely has that info.

Yes, it's "ok" (not bad for kids), but it has a strange plot, and it is mostly musical numbers (obviously). So depending upon the age of the kids, it may not be that interesting. It does have a surprise ending, but I found the most impressive part was the ship itself. As an adult, I would say I don't need to see it twice. So I will skip it on my next Harmony cruise. I think the ice shows are probably more interesting to kids, as well as the 2nd aqua show at the end of the cruise (no reservations).

We haven't had that experience--gaining points. We "lost" a point once, and when we complained, we were told it was the result of an audit (it went back to the loyalty program conversion). There have been posts here about records being messed up, so it is also possible there was a mistake. I hope it all works out in your favor, and enjoy your next cruise.

We had 3 formal nights on a 14 night NZ-Australia cruise in 2018, so that would be my guess. But I haven't been on the cruise you've selected, so standby for comments from others. Have a great cruise....

@WAAAYTOOO is correct, but the advantage I see to foreign ports is the ability to try a local beverage, whether alcoholic or not. I've always found myself returning to the ship at a decent hour to enjoy the perks of my purchased packages. Enjoy!

@JLMoran has a great point about breakfast, because the WJ can get crowded quickly, especially on the Harmony. We really enjoyed breakfast in the Solarium.

As I recall, the hike down to the beach occurs toward the end of the tour. Some people on the bus wore swimsuits with cover ups/shorts so they could quickly get some water in the time remaining after seeing the ruins. I don't know how it is being run today, but that was my experience.