ChessE4

I have sometimes seen lemonade but can't remember exactly when -- the flavored waters seem to rotate across various venues and machines.

Exactly. We start checking prices after the schedules come out, but there was a study done that supports the strategy proposed by @brianmorris . I don't wait for the lowest price, I just wait for a reasonable price. We recently booked a 2022 cruise and won't be looking at airlines for at least another year.

Concur with Dunn's River Falls (at least once), and recommend the swimming/hiking through the Amazing Secret River (near Playa del Carmen), although that requires a ferry ride from Cozumel. While physically demanding, it is an exciting, personal view of a cave system, and the water is refreshing. There are showers/lockers so you can change into dry clothes and eat before your return to Playa del Carmen and then Cozumel.

I can't comment on suites stuff, but the Rhapsody had the reputation (when we sailed in 2017) as the friendliest ship in the fleet. Having been a regular Baltimore cruiser before retirement, I am comfortable with the Grandeur, the Enchantment, and the Rhapsody. We found it more weathered than other ships (those nasty shower curtains in economy class....), but very enjoyable. I love the Centrum. We get an Ocean View if Balcony seems overpriced. My only complaint involved some of the guests who were rude to others...I think that was an isolated case. We are booked to sail the Rhapsody again. We had no problem boarding in Tampa. Someone who has sailed more recently can update you.

I am one who would say you should avoid shorts at dinner if you are trying out a "nice restaurant". That said, it is your choice. Just try to be considerate of others who may be celebrating a special night in a special restaurant and hoping for a special atmosphere. In the end, we all try to balance our desire to please ourselves and our commitment to be supportive of others ( normal social conventions). Have a great cruise!

Time for shopping! Buy all those extra things you shouldn't pack but will anyway.....

I agree with the comments about the lounge on the top floor and the pool tables. But of course the chess sets next to the pool tables get my vote, as does the small cinema. We found the crew very friendly in 2018.

I often go to Cruise Planner directly from Royal's e-mail, which is a bit different than going to the CAS site directly. At any rate, web pages constantly change...

I would do the latter as more cruises would provide, well, more opportunity for adventure. I don't use balconies that much. When we get one, it is more for the larger room size and extra perks from our agent. Inside rooms are better for sleeping. Having said that, my wife now insists on an ocean view room....

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/account/signin Here is the log in I just found -- what I used the other day. The page does look a little different than before, a different background, for example. Another way I can get there is to go to Royal's main page (like for a search), select Already Booked, and then in the very right top corner, click on "log in". That ends up at the provided URL.

I usually snorkel off the beach as discussed above, but there is a snorkel excursion that I will book next time to see a natural reef rather than the rocks at Chill Island.

When I log in to CAS, it shows upcoming trips (or defaults to a scheduled one), and there are links to documents (if any), or to the cruise planner. Last time I did this would have been around August prior to a September cruise. Checking today, I see there is still a link to cruise planner, and it gives me the opportunity to pay off the balance or check details of my reservation. I am too early to check in. The "view more details" is where you would go if documents were ready.

I print my documents at the Crown and Anchor website. When I book excursions or other items in Cruise Planner, I receive a confirming e-mail which I often print. Usually the only document I might print in Cruise Planner is my calendar. Good luck with your reservation linking. I was able to add son and friend from another reservation to my excursion by simply following the prompt to add guests. So while I was booking the excursion, I was asked if I wanted to add others from another room....

I must be thinking of the Harmony. Thanks for the correction.

My recollection is that when they use the extra lounge for overflow, you still enter through the Diamond Lounge doorway.

I have never heard "stair noise" on a ship, and the only elevator noise I recall has been in traditional hotels. I try to think about the places I normally go when I choose among rooms -- I hate walking long hallways, since I do that enough when I get lost!

Personally, I think $50 for the Stateroom Attendant was very generous. I wouldn't get discouraged just because there are some wealthy people who throw money around. The myth that prepaid gratuities don't get to the Attendant is, well, just a myth. For a normal non-suite room, the daily tips (per person) are broken out so that the dining room staff earn about $9 and the Stateroom Attendant about $5.50 daily.

We like the cove with the swimming area -- you can even snorkel off the beach, but there's not much. We enjoy shopping in the fixed price store. The road between beaches is full of vendors who love to barter, if you like that. Mostly, we just look at their hand-made items.

I believe it is worth sailing, although we have chosen September over August due to cheaper fares. Just be sure you have good trip insurance. You could encounter bad weather at any time of year. When I think of ports we have missed due to weather, none involved hurricanes---just random wind or choppy seas. Have a great cruise! The only almost-a-disaster we had was a trip to Europe when United Airlines workers decided to "slow down" and delay traffic because of labor concerns...Weather wasn't a factor.

If you look at the break out of the tip money, you'll see that for the dining room staff to get 18% (in the aggregate), the daily meal value is $47-$50 (about $9 per person per day for the wait staff and the balance for Stateroom Attendant/Housekeeping in non-suite rooms). If you price out all of the meals, snacks, and free drinks you consume it's probably at least $50 value, if not more for "resort prices". Normally, the service we receive is worth a 20% tip, so we give a cash gift at the end in most cases - not a lot, but enough to make up the difference. What you do is up to you. Have a great cruise!

AAA has a card that isn't supposed to have foreign transaction fees and offers double or triple points on vacations, but check the latest promotions from them. Most airline cards don't charge the transaction fees. I haven't noticed a problem with my RCI card, but most expenses are prepaid in the US so no extra $$. Value added tax is another issue overseas...But if I buy something expensive overseas, I use my Chase-backed airline card not the B of A card from Royal.

Yes, it can happen and falls into the "normal" category. It will go away with time but there are also exercises one can do if you feel vertigo and can't really function (lying in bed and moving hour head--check the internet). It has to do with your inner ear.

We saw A Coruna on a trip to the Canary Islands. We took a general tour that hit the major highlights, including a famous tower. However, my tip would be to avoid the porta-potties! Bilbao is famous for the Guggenheim Museum, but I haven't been there. In Spain there is some type of transportation available, and we did a fair amount of walking after our tours. I recall looking up maps on the Internet so I'd be familiar with the ports.

I would avoid the raft trip at Lake Bacalar (Costa Maya) as it is very "tame". I enjoyed Chacchoben much more. At Roatan, we liked Maya Key (for snorkeling, lunch, and general relaxation). At Cozumel, if you can tolerate the ferry ride to the mainland, I recommend the Amazing Secret River near Playa del Carmen. You walk/swim through a cave system. Not for someone with a bad back. It is memorable, however.

We saw it advertised on excursions. I don't remember Dunn's River Falls, but a lot of excursions let you do some shopping somewhere, and the coffee is often sold. You should also be able to get it back at the port.