DMLM

Michael,
We took a Mediterranean cruise last summer with our teenagers and they loved it.  We visited Florence (not Venice) and went to a basilica in the main square (Santa Croce).  It had the graves of many famous people (Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini to name a few).  The square had some shops, eateries, and the church was a nice.  We also strolled around from that square and saw the Ponte Vecchio (a medieval bridge) that also has jewelry.  We did not shop but the bridge has some history and was neat.
 
We also visited Santorini on the cruise and loved it.  We booked an excursion with the cruise that took us on a bus to the ruins (Akrotiri-associated with Minoan civilization) and then around the island to the top (where the blue roof is).  They dropped us at that top and we took the cable car down (warning, lines can get long.  Leave time to get down before you have to be back on the ship).  The ruins were absolutely fabulous (especially if you like that) and the views spectacular.  We were glad we booked that

There are two main dining room times (early & late seating).  If you were confirmed in one of the spaces I believe you would just see the time next to dining on your booking.  When you see MyTime it reflects that you are not confirmed at either early or late seating and have the flexibility for your MyTime dining.  The (Waitlist) I believe is indicating you are looking for early seating in the main dining room or that is the time you are looking for MyTime dining.
I took a look back at a couple of my last bookings (within the year) as I was not 100% sure.  I saw the waitlist timing before I was confirmed with the time I requested (as we prefer a structured time).  When I was confirmed I did not see MyTime or (waitlist) times reflected and just the time.
 
I hope this is correct for you.  You can always call your travel agent and have them try to confirm timing.  If you booked directly with royal you can do that with them also.  I will tell you that I have booked many cruises directly with royal, have Diamond + status now, and have had to wait for confirmation so it does not always happen the first time :-)
Good luck and enjoy your first trip!
 
D 

There are two main dining room times (early & late seating).  If you were confirmed in one of the spaces I believe you would just see the time next to dining on your booking.  When you see MyTime it reflects that you are not confirmed at either early or late seating and have the flexibility for your MyTime dining.  The (Waitlist) I believe is indicating you are looking for early seating in the main dining room or that is the time you are looking for MyTime dining.
I took a look back at a couple of my last bookings (within the year) as I was not 100% sure.  I saw the waitlist timing before I was confirmed with the time I requested (as we prefer a structured time).  When I was confirmed I did not see MyTime or (waitlist) times reflected and just the time.
 
I hope this is correct for you.  You can always call your travel agent and have them try to confirm timing.  If you booked directly with royal you can do that with them also.  I will tell you that I have booked many cruises directly with royal, have Diamond + status now, and have had to wait for confirmation so it does not always happen the first time :-)
Good luck and enjoy your first trip!
 
D 

It has been a long time since I booked a #GTY but I recall they will email you in advance.  That email will likely be close to the cruise as they will continue to try and maximize their bookings.  I recall I was actually upgraded once a few cruises back and I was notified a few days before and had to reprint my luggage tags.  That was a hard thing to do :-)
Good luck and enjoy!
 
D

It has been a long time since I booked a #GTY but I recall they will email you in advance.  That email will likely be close to the cruise as they will continue to try and maximize their bookings.  I recall I was actually upgraded once a few cruises back and I was notified a few days before and had to reprint my luggage tags.  That was a hard thing to do :-)
Good luck and enjoy!
 
D

I also want to note that Michelle from MEI was very helpful in the identification of this opportunity.  As you will see on my other post related to MEI travel, I was discussing the potential of a transfer to MEI for my next cruise and we discussed this opportunity for the OBC.  Since the booking was still with me and directly with RCCL it was on me to call them.  I have since elected to transfer that cruise to MEI and give them a try.

Kind of growing up on cruise ships, my son has been adventurous since the age of 9 (ordering adult food) and as a college student has now acquired a taste for fine sushi. One never knows how a cruise experience will shape a child's life!  Have a great cruise!

The $55 price is the discounted price.  On the cruise planner it states "price shown reflects your discount". 
Whatever price is shown on the cruise planner is what the price will be per day, per person,  before gratuities are added.  I just ignore all their percentages and BOGO hoopla and just look at that price.  If you already got it for $46, keep it.

I have sailed on Royal over 13 times and currently have Diamond + status.  I have been booking direct with Royal for more than half of the cruises and have managed them by myself.  I just joined this group and saw the discussions regarding MEI.  I have decided to give them a try to see how the experience goes.
 
Michelle:  Thanks for the discussion yesterday and I just sent you an email to transfer the bookings I have for December.  I look forward to working with you and the experience ahead.
 
D

I have sailed on Royal over 13 times and currently have Diamond + status.  I have been booking direct with Royal for more than half of the cruises and have managed them by myself.  I just joined this group and saw the discussions regarding MEI.  I have decided to give them a try to see how the experience goes.
 
Michelle:  Thanks for the discussion yesterday and I just sent you an email to transfer the bookings I have for December.  I look forward to working with you and the experience ahead.
 
D

I have sailed on Royal over 13 times and currently have Diamond + status.  I have been booking direct with Royal for more than half of the cruises and have managed them by myself.  I just joined this group and saw the discussions regarding MEI.  I have decided to give them a try to see how the experience goes.
 
Michelle:  Thanks for the discussion yesterday and I just sent you an email to transfer the bookings I have for December.  I look forward to working with you and the experience ahead.
 
D

I have sailed on Royal over 13 times and currently have Diamond + status.  I have been booking direct with Royal for more than half of the cruises and have managed them by myself.  I just joined this group and saw the discussions regarding MEI.  I have decided to give them a try to see how the experience goes.
 
Michelle:  Thanks for the discussion yesterday and I just sent you an email to transfer the bookings I have for December.  I look forward to working with you and the experience ahead.
 
D

I have the Celebrity Select VISA; same exact card in terms of usage, you can use any of those cards with any of Royal's ship lines, it's just different branding and card image. Like @SpeedNoodles and @DMLM, I only use that card to pay for my cruise and any Cruise Planner purchases I happen to buy, so I can get the double rewards points and faster OBC redemption for on-board spending. I agree with @Matt that it's probably not the best rewards card out there, and for general usage I have my Amazon rewards card that works a lot better for me. But having an easy way to get some OBC for the cruise is nice, especially now that the drink package prices are getting astronomical.
I actually got the card because of a promotion being done at the time, which I think is being offered again now -- 100,000 bonus points (effectively $100 OBC) for getting the card and making a modest amount of purchases in the first 90 days. Since I was doing initial booking at the time, it was a no-brainer as I qualified for the bonus instantly. I figure between that, the cost of the cruise, and any excursion I buy through the Cruise Planner, I should manage to get between $200 and $250 in OBC for that sailing, which will help pay for my bar tab. ? 

I agree with @SpeedNoodles  and@DMLM .  On the redemption, which you can do online, I find that OBC isn't credited until a couple of weeks before the cruise.  So if you want to use the OBC for cruise planner purchases, you need to call the rewards program so that they force through the conversion right away.  On the other hand, if you use the Visa for your career planner purchases, you rack up more points.  It boils down to how you will use the OBC.  We usually end up spending it on an extra purchase on the ship.  
I have seen 3% offers as a teaser rate, including travel card offers from AAA, but i find that a consistent 2% is good enough for me long term.  Best of luck!

I would second what SpeedNoodles said.  If you use it on Royal you get double the points.  I use it to pay for the cruise and the on board purchases at the end.  I also found the international fees to cause me to use alternatives outside of just using for the cruise itself.