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I would go to Tulum. I believe the best way to see Chichen Itza is through a land vacation, which is on my bucket list. I enjoyed Tulum, but it was hot (June), so plan on lots of bottled water.

At Costa Maya, we have visited the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben and enjoyed it very much. I was too old to snorkel at Cozumel, but we had a great time at the Amazing Secret River, which involved taking the ferry to Playa del Carmen. The tour is "wet" --- swimming/hiking through a cave system. Have fun whatever you choose to do, but I love snorkeling whenever I can get the chance.

You'll be fine (you'll be comfortable and you'll contribute to the ambience) if you follow the advice of @JLMoran . I wear a suit because it's left over from my days at work. I mean, since I'm retired, I really wear out my shorts and khakis, so my business clothes are in better shape. Have a great cruise!

There used to be an excursion through Royal going to St John's, which required a ferry ride. I believe it involved doing volunteer work at the National Park. Might be worth checking out... We have also done the "tour" of the island by bus; it gives you some views and gift shops, but it's not very exciting.

The food in the MDR is excellent, but Matt's videos point out you don't need to limit yourself to just one entree. You are able to sample, and don't forget lobster night! I liked Sabor, but the menu is limited, and I was eating with a "voucher". Chops was OK, but the tables for two seemed crammed together, so our dinner wasn't very romantic. I find the single-meal prices high for the specialty restaurants, but the folks who really love them tend to order the unlimited dining package online at a sale price. To get away from the crowds at the Windjammer, you might try the Solarium or Johnny Rockets for breakfast. For the ship itself, I strongly recommend catching a late afternoon or evening concert in Central Park. That is my must-do for September. I also intend to try more of the slides. The zip line is very short -- it took more time to suit up than to go across, but it can be a real thrill. Whatever you choose, have a great cruise.

@tmp916 hit the nail on the head. And If you are booking a new cruise, it is also possible that you won't get your first choice right away. We book through a travel agent, and sometimes we are put on a waiting list for the traditional dining time we want. The default seems to be My Time Dining, but if at first you don't get what you want, be persistent. Also remember to indicate to your agent or Royal whether you want a "group table" or a table by yourself. Have a wonderful cruise.

Thanks for the cultural note! Not to disparage other cruise lines, but I saw a video from another line with a coffee card that spelled out "cappuccinos" instead of "cappuccini". Now my Italian is really weak, but even I took notice....

Have you ever had a TSA inspection paper placed in your suitcase? I have several times on business trips, but I was carrying a lot of teaching aids that could look funny on the X-ray. If you can keep the odd items separate and easily accessible, I think you could go for it. I am kind of intrigued by the idea you suggested...

Thanks for your detailed summary! Your observation about formal night is consistent with what I have observed, that most people dress nicely.

While there are some people who have stated on other threads that they take their passports off the ship, most vacationers i have spoken to leave such documents in their stateroom safe.@AshleyDillo expressed the majority view that ID and Sea Pass are sufficient. In my opinion, you would only take your passport if you were taking a long 3rd party excursion and were worried that you'd miss the ship and need to fly to the next port, or that you'd have a medical emergency and need to be evacuated. I am more worried about pickpockets than an emergency, so I leave my passport in the safe. Whatever you choose to do, have a great cruise!

Absolutely! We also did a 12N Med cruise from Barcelona, and we still consider it our best cruise.

Yes, one thing we've got to admit, we don't go hungry...

Yes, it is important to take security seriously when you get off the ship. I wear a lanyard on the ship and on the private islands, but in a foreign port I protect key documents differently. Also, the clothes we wear in a foreign port can make a difference.

Like @rtread said in 2004, we had a buffet on the Voyager, which had the ice sculptures. My wife claims there was a late buffet in the Med in 2011 (Brilliance of the Seas), and on a New Year's sailing from Baltimore about 2013 (Grandeur), there was a small chocolate buffet in the Centrum -- the line went down the starboard hallway all the way to the bow. Since then we haven't seen anything remotely similar. So as everyone else has stated, the late buffets seem to have disappeared.

Lanyard for my new sea pass and my "Black Jack for dummies" paper back in case I feel lucky.....

In contrast to these reports, there are regions where there has been an effort to welcome cruise ships. I want to give a shout out to NZ and Australia, which we visited in January 2018. Everywhere we went the local community literally rolled out the red carpet. There were lots of volunteers to direct us or give us maps, shuttle buses to connect with the port, etc. Some cities were very new to cruising, or so we were told. Our son was attending Wollongong for a semester, and we were delighted with the welcome they provided, not to mention the free bus that circulates the city and stops near the beach. Now the Radiance of the Seas is one of the smaller ships, and many of the environmental impact concerns seem to be targeting Oasis-class ships, but I wanted to share a short positive note. It was my main take away from the cruise -- the friendliness of folks in Australia/NZ, and the diversity apparent in their cultures, at least in the cities we visited. Happy cruising everyone...

And if you ever have unauthorized purchases on your account, you simply go to Guest Services. That shouldn't be a worry for you. Have a great cruise!

One of the things I do in advance of a cruise is study a foreign language, like French for St Martin (hoping for an excursion to that side of the island) and Spanish for San Juan or Mexico, etc. It keeps me busy. Another thing I do is study the books on tropical fish in hopes of going snorkeling.... Best of luck on your preparations!

I would try Central Park Balcony because I've stayed twice on the Boardwalk, and i really love Central Park. I am thinking about the informal concerts in the evening, etc. On the Boardwalk, there was a nice incentive (specialty meals and coke package), but I am not much of a soda drinker, and I don't really want to stare at the Boardwalk. You get some noise or entertainment from the Aqua Theater (we were about 7 staterooms from the aft end), but you really can't see enough to have a true show. Whatever you choose, enjoy your cruise!

No, but they are available for purchase on the ship, while waiting to get on the ship (at Port Canaveral), or through Amazson.com and other sites. I recycle the badge holders my son got on Adventure Ocean, and now I buy one of the larger, phone-sized holders that are waterproof (for beach days). The new ships have proximity readers, so you don't punch a hole in the card, you use a lanyard with a plastic sleeve. On the older ships you can have the card punched, which is often done for kids. If you just want sleeves, Wal-Mart and other stores have the soft plastic types in packages of 10 or so. They can tear more easily than the hard plastic sleeves (my experience). Have a great cruise!

Very thoughtful and touching. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for your very nice chart. Whatever the measured temperature at the snorkel reef in Nassau in the winter, it was frigid. Many on the tour complained. So as a service to others, I will re-state that it may be uncomfortable for some. I have been in cold mountain water, and this was that cold. So my recommendation would be to avoid getting too far from shore if you are going to be totally immersed in the sea at that time of year (TG to New Year's). If you have snorkeled there at that time of year, feel free to describe your experience so that others may benefit. Have a nice cruise.

Then either the Harmony is different from the Anthem, or the policy has changed, and the video is now out of date. Thanks for your just-in-time information!

To be more precise, Matt's video of 21 June 19, which talks about five Harmony secrets, states that you can bring the WOW bands back and exchange them on your next cruise. Sorry I didn't state it accurately. So one would need to "swap" bands, not re-program them. Make sense? I am only passing on what was in the video...

I believe Matt stated on one of his videos that it can be re-used on another cruise -- your WOW band is re-programmed, avoiding a second purchase.