ChessE4

In addition to the above, I recall the value added tax (VAT) affected some ports, so the total price was a little higher than in the US. I was thinking that drink packages purchased in advance,, if only a soda package or a coffee card, might avoid the VAT, but I am not sure about that. Can recent travelers confirm?

When we cruised Europe, there was always a last day excursion that usually toured the city and then dropped you off at the airport. When you book these excursions, you don't need to buy the extra transfer from the ship to the airport; it is built in to the excursion price. The excursion description usually states that it is appropriate only if your air departure is later than a specific time (like 3PM). If you are already committed to paying for the ship-airport transfer, this is something to keep in mind for your next trip.

Barcelona is one place where you can be surrounded/distracted while the pickpockets work their magic. However, you can wear lightweight cash/card/document holders around your neck and under your blouse/shirt. AAA sells them with RFID protection. Rick Steves recommends money belts. Or use a purse that you can clutch around your waste with a crossing shoulder strip. Don't ever put anything important in a fanny pack or backpack.

I concur, and when off the ship there is the usual common sense, like not putting all documents in one place. When I wear my SeaPass in a lanyard, I keep my license separately. I don't pool documents with my wife. If one of us loses something, the other can get back on the ship for extra documents from the safe, etc.

Negative on taking passports off the ship. In an extreme emergency, they can be retrieved by crew, as mentioned above. Instead, you have a couple of options. Take a photocopy of the main page with you, purchase a travel card when you order your passport (and take it as your ID off the ship), or just trust that your driver's license and SeaPass are sufficient. The more you carry passports around off ship, the more likely you are to be pick-pocketed or forgetful. And on excursions, there is the risk of water damage at the beach, etc. State Department has the STEP program that allows you to register foreign travel, so US will know where you are in an emergency. We have taken 14 cruises without incident except for the time I did take passports. On that occasion our small boat stalled in choppy seas, we and passports were soaked to the skin, and I felt stupid for almost ruining our documents. They are needed to re-enter the US, which is why they stay in a locked stateroom safe.

When we sailed on the Rhapsody in 2017, the reputation was that it was the friendliest ship. This class of ship often has music in the centrum which permeates the entire vessel. It is older, but pleasant. We weren't thrilled about the plastic shower curtain in our room, but I guess you can't have it all.....

Agree with all above who state earlier is better. As for meals, WJ is too crowded, consider alternative lunch spots. Sometimes Day 1 is a bit of a zoo in the WJ. The daily compass will indicate available lunch locations. On the Harmony, we enjoyed the Solarium Bistro when the WJ was too crowded, and kids may like the hot dogs at the Boardwalk or burgers at Johnny Rocket.

I received a similar e-mail offer today, so I am curious as well.

I believe the one we used a few years ago was more expensive and gave a nice tour of the town. We didn't get off until the end, when we wandered around. The shopping area isn't that large an area.

Ditto to all of the above. Actually, the only horror stories I have heard involve Barcelona and Rome where friends were pick-pocketed. So avoid the groups of street urchins who may surround you as a distraction while someone quietly robs you. Leave passports in the stateroom safe, use a secret cash/card wallet under your shirt, and use purses with shoulder straps that you can clutch easily to your body. We have been on 14 cruises and never been accosted, and we found Nassau during daylight hours perfectly safe. We never ventured out after dinner on the ship.

On 19 May we had the same experience with the Harmony as MarvinS, boarding very quickly and actually an hour before our "scheduled" boarding time.

If your are booking a soda package for your daughter, you may see a sale price that combines 1 device with the drinks.

On the Harmony two weeks ago the actual sea passes were in an envelope, one outside the door and the others inside the stateroom. In the meantime, you use your boarding pass, as has been stated. Recommend being at the door to your cabin hallway promptly at 1 PM. If it is closed, don't enter as staff are still going up and down the hallways. When it is ready, the closed door will be opened.

The lunch coupon we just had on the Harmony specified that it be used on port days, so I know you can get lunch at some specialty restaurants on those days. We chose Sabra but I recall that Jamie's & Chops were open. (Jamie's was previously mentioned.) The only issue I have with pay extra for the full dining package is that the food/experience has rarely been better for us than the Main Dining Room. The specialty restaurants, to me, lack atmosphere, service is slow, and sometimes dishes aren't prepared properly (pasta not cooked long enough, for example). And you can order a nice steak from the MDR with a slight upcharge....But I don't want to criticize anyone who likes specialty dining. I choose to splurge on something else, like a nice excursion.

Rome is hot in June, so if you arrive early or stay late, take water on any excursions. The train or bus ride from the port to Rome is interesting. Have been on the Radiance and the Brilliance, which are comparable to the Jewel. The centrum is a great place to hang out and listen to music. Europeans dress nicer than we do, for whatever that is worth in terms of proper packing for dinner in the Main Dining Room, etc. We enjoyed Pompeii (Naples) but on our next visit we want to check out Capri. Climbed Mt. Vesuvius once for the view (combined that with Pompeii). The best Euro rate is from bank ATMs, but notify your banks here about overseas travel.Have a good cruise. When you sail close to islands or the mainland, it is fun to go to deck 5 or the pool deck to get a great view. On our trip to the Med we notice they varied the dinner menu to complement the ports we visited.

Checking my records our flight was delayed/rescheduled and we got to Heathrow about 10 AM, waited about 20 minutes for the bus after we cleared customs/immigration (pretty fast), and hopped the bus. The bus ride was about one hour, maybe a little longer. We lunched on the ship, which was probably about 12:30-1 PM.

The drink of the day at Coco Cay which my son ordered was over $14 when the tip/taxes were added. It might have included a souvenir glass, I'm not sure. He was told the basic price was $12. I believe it was called a "Coco-Loco".

They have at least few different bus times, and they should be collecting arrival times from guests during online chec-kin so they know how to build the schedule. We had no problem catching a bus with a group led by the RCI representative, and we didn't arrive until 9 AM. One note. Upon return at Southampton, RCI lost my wife's suitcase. Since then, we always take our own luggage of the ship.

Sometimes you may get a bill for something that has "0" as total but also contains a line for an additional tip. That is additional - as was previously stated, the beverage package price included an 18% tip. (And the coffee card or the soda package....) But, if you believe in tipping 20% for good service instead of 18% (in many states servers earn below minimum wage), then you could add a little extra at your discretion. This may come up not only with drinks but with specialty dining when you use a "voucher/coupon" provided by your travel agent or by RCI because of the class of stateroom you booked. The 18% gratuities are already paid for the "free" meal

My son loved the teen club when he sailed on the Freedom at 16 and the Grandeur at 17. He actually found it was easier to make friends because no one knew who he was or had pre-conceived notions.

My recollection of the briefing is that it covered the various venues on the ship - where everything was located. It was an informative time-killer just before the muster. You had plenty of time to get something to drink and find your way to your muster station.

Correct, water shoes can't be worn on slides. They are worn to get to where you are going, on the beach, in the beach water, etc. Around the ship, they are probably safer than flip flops, but each person has his or her preference.

We have noticed there are many pre-cruise sales online, with discounts of varying amounts depending upon what you purchase. I don't know the pattern - it seems somewhat random. We don't book excursions unless they are on sale. We avoid the drink packages because you need to drink too much for them to pay off. But the coffee card is worth it (15 hand-made coffee drinks at the ship's coffee shop). We avoid getting anything on the ship, as prices are usually higher. We use AAA as our travel agent, and they usually provide some perks that mitigate the need to buy other stuff, like specialty dining. The main thing is to know what you actually want on vacation, not necessarily what other people are doing or buying...

As mentioned, the lamb shank is good in the MDR, and pork medallions when they are offered. We also love the lobster. I always love the escargot as an appetizer. All you really taste is the garlic butter sauce...

At Sabra's (on Harmony), both the steak quesadilla and the tacos were tasty. My wife especially liked the fresh-made guacamole. I enjoyed the sangria, too. It appears the lunch and dinner menus are the same. If you take a late lunch, you can skip dinner and get dessert or snacks later....