monorailmedic

I highly recommend El Palomar.  Is a short walk from Plaza Benito Juarez.  I'd say the food is as good or better than Comidas Caseras Tonita (which is very good), but the views are infitiely better as it's right across from the water.  Further they sell beer - and CCT does not.  Oh, and they take credit cards.
Watch, this will become @Matt's favorite place in about 55 days. 
We also enjoy The Pub Cozumel, which is a British expat pub, and they actually have very good Mexican food.

...and that's how I found myself explaining to Mexican authorities that I'd misunderstood the concept of a particular theme party.
In answer to the original question, as far as I know there is not a glow party on RCI - but this seems like a neat (and low cost) idea which might reasonate well with some of their biggest customer profiles.

We rather enjoyed Empress.  What was it you didn't like?
You have the option.  You could apply for the visa on your own (seems there are better ways to save $25) or sign that you're not getting one as you intend to stay onboard.  You make this declaration at the port on embarkation day.
They'll charge what the market will bear.  Some of the sailings have been quite reasonable.  On our May sailing we paid a bit more than some other RCI sailings, but it came in at about $115/night (including taxes and such) for an inside.  Again, more than some other sailings, but not outrageous.  Demand will inflate price every time.  That in mind, as more ships go and those who have been wanting to go get to there, the supply will increase and the deman slow down - at some point we can expect to see lower prices, though not sure how much lower.

Probably right, though I'd also bet that the segment of the population which cruises is not divided up the same in terms of smokers/non-smokers compared to the general population.  About 16% of the US smokes (per CDC) and non-smokers are disproporitonately college-educated and earn higher wages, so we can speculate that fewer than 16% of cruisers smoke.
There is no real point to the above - I just started checking some stats on this b/c I'm a dork.

Sorry to add to the debate, but as a borderline asthmatic with asthmatic mother and brother, I can assure you that any exposure to cigarette smoke is a MAJOR trigger for asthma attacks. My mother was nearly hospitalized when a guy in a museum cafeteria that was clearly labeled a no-smoking area decided to light up a cigar and was smoking for several minutes before my dad (who nearly came to blows with the guy) finally got him to put the damn thing out.
What's a borderline asthmatic, you may ask? I don't need a rescue inhaler on my person, and I've never had a "failed" peak flow test, but I'm damn close to it and have been on a daily inhaler for peak flow maintenance for over 10 years now. Before I was on that, whenever I'd get a bad head cold it would always turn into bronchitis with heavy wheezing, at which point I would get put on the rescue inhaler until it finally cleared out. And even with that, I can still get that bad with a really severe cold, and breathing any kind of smoke (cigarette or otherwise) puts me into a coughing and wheezing fit like any other asthmatic until I can get away from it.
So yeah, I would have major problems with anyone smoking on their balcony if I was sitting on mine and downwind of them, butt cups / ash trays / safety canisters available to the person or not. I will be sure to avoid the areas that are designated "smoking allowed" and, if they're outdoors, probably have to route around them as I navigate the ships. And I'd pay extra to be on a ship where the entire thing was guaranteed to be 100% smoke free, and I could be sure of going to the casino without having to leave the second I pick up the cigarette smell (and I realize this probably means my plans to play craps on my cruises have been shot down the toilet, unless Freedom's / Anthem's casinos go smoke free).

@monctonguy I've seen the one-side of the ship suggestion before for cabins. The problem is that there are more non smokers than smokers, and non smokers are less inclined to stay in a room that someone had previously smoked in, so cruise lines would have problems selling all of the cabins on that side of the ship. This is one of the reasons so many hotels have gone smoke free. It reduces cleaning costs and the need to replace soft goods as often. Remember, people aren't as courteous or carful on vacation as they are at home. 

As others have mentioned you don't have to - the process is just meant to speed up check-in, not a big deal.
If you have a phone with a camera just take a quick pic against a white (or light) wall.  Either way it shouldn't be an issue.
This is only done for check-in on Quantum Class ships as well as Harmony of the Seas.

Yup.  I only recently became Platinum (haven't checked in as anything but new or gold) and aside from my Emp sailing I don't think it ever took more than 30 mins curb to ship, and half of that was waiting for check in to begin as I arrive early

Probably right, though I'd also bet that the segment of the population which cruises is not divided up the same in terms of smokers/non-smokers compared to the general population.  About 16% of the US smokes (per CDC) and non-smokers are disproporitonately college-educated and earn higher wages, so we can speculate that fewer than 16% of cruisers smoke.
There is no real point to the above - I just started checking some stats on this b/c I'm a dork.

I will defend your right to smoke, as long as it doesn't infringe on my rights not to inhale second hand smoke. Truth be told, I wouldn't cruise on a ship that allowed karaoke through out the ship! I don't do that either. 

As a non-smoker, I would book a cruise if it was all non-smoking and conversely would not book a cruise if it had open smoking throughout the ship.

Ensure your passports are valid for at least 6 months after your departure date
Travel insurance (if you so choose) 
Set a reminder to keep checking the site in the event of a target promotion (such as the 20% off bev packages some have seen)
Notify CC companies and/or banks that you'll be traveling when/where
Stop your mail, newspaper, etc (may have to wait until 90 days out)

Yes, the cereal industry is working hard to overtake the cruise giants.  Sorry, had to.

I went in May with my family.  Also Billy from CruiseHabit.com went on the same trip with his lovely bride.  Read his live blogs at http://www.cruisehabit.com/cruising-cuba and https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/empress-of-the-seas-live-blog
I also took some pictures and blogged a little at http://www.cookingyo.com/cuba/

A lot of your questions should be answered here:. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-197-cruising-cuba

Just a thought, but what if one doesn't have access to a pool, ocean, or lake near their home? Vacation may be the only place to teach one how to swim. 

My final payment date is October 2018, so I have a bit, heh...
I haven't sailed with RCI in awhile so was unsure with how their rates worked, but with Carnival in the past, they didn't always honor their price changes like they said they would. 
I called RCI and got the $135 price difference (it included the $76 OBC), and the booking agent was really pleasant to talk to. 
A side note, every time I've called RCI, their agents have been SO pleasant to speak to. This has not always been my experience with other lines in the past. I really have to give them props for this. 

It depnds if you've passed final payment date yet (and what country you're in).  If you're in the US or Canada and you've not passed final payment date, then this shouldn't be a problem.  If you're in the US or Canada and you're past final payment date then you aren't likely to get the difference, but if a higher category stateroom is now available for what you paid you may be able to upgrade without cost.
Whether we like it or not, prices go up and down with different promotions.  This isn't unique to RCI - it's pretty standard across the cruise industry.  Much like airline tickets your recourse varies, but it's important you're happy with the price you paid when you booked.

I agree with @monorailmedic. The changes will only really impact what people do when ported there and ensure that they're complying with the people-to-people program as intended.
Billy does a great job explaining Cuba at his site!

The administration hasn't actually changed any policy.  The admin made some recommendations which will guide the Treasury Dpt in coming up with additional restrictions, but they haven't put anything forth yet, and it's unknown how long it will take to enact once they do.
Either way however, the recommendations made will not preclude cruise ships, though they *may* affect what type of touring you do when you arrive.  For most cruisers, I would suspect you'll see very little in the way of changes.
I've got a series of articles which have tips and info around the restrictions, documentation requirements, ways to save money changing currency when you visit Cuba, and more.  In this series there is also a link to a live blog over on this site which I kept on our Empress sailing to Cuba this past May.  That live blog will show you a bit of Empress, what we did in Cuba, and on the rest of our great trip with some friends from these very message boards.  Reach out if you have any questions at all!
www.CruiseHabit.com/Cruising-Cuba

I'll throw one more on the pile and say there are never enough hangers in any stateroom of any ship I've sailed (we hang most of our clothes).  I just ask for extra hangers and it's never been an issue - no sense in packing them IMO.

Yes, the cereal industry is working hard to overtake the cruise giants.  Sorry, had to.

Yes, the cereal industry is working hard to overtake the cruise giants.  Sorry, had to.

I always get into trouble with autocorrect when posting from my phone.  For some reason, it just doesn't like the word "Royal."

Yes, the cereal industry is working hard to overtake the cruise giants.  Sorry, had to.