JennyB

as a matter of fact... LOL

So what’s the verdict? Was there?

Heh...mine are Harley Davidson bags. Very distinctive.
 
  

A great idea. When we disembarked in Baltimore in October we were among the last people off the ship. Went to our designated area to get our bags and wouldn't you know - my wife's distinctive Vera Bradley bag was missing and another (newer and nicer) bag of the same size and pattern was right there.
We were able to reach the other individual by calling the number on her luggage tag, but since she had already exited the terminal we had to go outside to get the right bag and hike all the way around the terminal to get to our car. What should have been a quick "grab and go" luggage experience turned into a 60 minute ordeal and a long trek instead of a "pop out the door" experience.

I'm going to cheat and use my Anthem pictures.  No one will know the difference.  
Did I just say that out loud?

My husband needs a CPAP also.  We called RCCL and asked for special needs department.  He requested an extension cord and also a gallon of distilled water.  They said they would be in our room when we arrive.

@Twangster is right, our flights round trip are cheaper than driving, getting a hotel room and paying for parking. 
Getting a rental car for one day is more expensive than a one way flight for us. 
Thank heavens we have cheap SW flights.

Matt, That is really my point.  If "most" people booking get the same or similar benefit, why does Royal Caribbean promote it as a "benefit" for share holders.  I cannot see Starbucks promoting "free coffee cream" as a benefit for Starbucks share holders.  

I guess I am in the minority here.  I do not really see this as a money grab by Royal except from the aspect that they are now getting paid for what used to be free upgrades.
It SEEMS to be a fairly efficient program to ensure that any last minute vacancies are filled by people who are willing to pay for an upgrade.  Truly, I see this as a win-win scenario.  Royal is selling any remaining cabins and people are getting upgrades at a discount.  Everyone is happy !
I have been the recipient of free upgrades in the past and I really enjoyed it but I don't feel that anyone is entitled to a free upgrade.
I have read, several different places, that the high level C&A members are upset b/c they used to be the beneficiaries of the "free" upgrades.  But, at least in my case, that was not the true.  I am NOWHERE near the top of the C&A pyramid and I have been upgraded for free twice.  I certainly don't expect it will ever happen again and it was nice when it happened but I don't see why Royal would give something away that they could sell instead. I don't actually believe that it was ever true that the high level C&A members were getting all the freebie upgrades.

Probably not a popular idea but..... You could wait until they are 3 and able to enjoy Adventure Ocean and give you a break as well.  We cruised when one was old enough for Adventure Ocean and the other was not.  It gave us some quality alone time with our youngest but would have been nice to be be able enjoy even an hour or two a day with just adults.  If you are booking it for now, consider your ship.  Some have the nursery that you could utilize while others don't have any option for kids under 3.  Also they won't be able to use the pool which was a big deal for our little guy and we didn't realize until after we had booked.  So try to find a ship with a splash area and nursery or wait and do something land based until they're 3 would my advice having gone on a ship with a young one with no splash area and no nursery (Explorer).

Twangster did, and did a review on his experience:  https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/12/04/review-royal-caribbeans-the-key-vip-guest-experience

I pulled the trigger on it.  I read the review on it posted on this site and am happy I did. 

we always fly the morning of our cruise...from Indianapolis...
also, if I lived in Florida, chances are I'd be close to being a Diamond...because weekend cruises would happen REGULARLY!!!

I just ended up buying pretty rare luggage as it seem someone always grabbed my old black bag, no matter what I did. Then I had to go chase someone down to get it back. 
I have yet to see someone else rolling around with matching hard case harry potter luggage yet!?
 

A day on a ship with an 18 month old is not much different than a day on land at home with an 18 month old. 
Your schedule is dictated by them.  They are in control. 
At home you can't go grocery shopping when you want to, you do it around their nap schedule.  You may not realize it at home but you find a way of planning and performing your day around their needs and schedule.  It just short of happens.    
On a ship you might have plans for a day of lounging by the pool or exploring a port but forget making plans.  You'll need to follow their mood and needs.  That could work out well or if they are cranky from having their routine interrupted by the muster drill that might work out not very well.   
Also keep in mind their immune system isn't as robust as ours.  We are constantly bombarded by germs and viruses but most of us fend them off and never know it.  A toddler doesn't have the same germ fighting capacity and an ear ache or sore throat can make your cruise very stressful.  Even teething can be a pain for everyone involved.  At home it's easy enough to run to a store and buy something.  Not so on a ship.  

Sea day with a toddler = follow the child wherever they lead you - it's a great way to explore the ship in ways you would never consider. Plan to have almost every crew member you encounter fawn over the young 'un.

Also, once Ovation has competed a few Alaska cruises we'll hopefully start to see some cruise compasses posted by past guests.  
I'm going on Ovation May 13 but that first cruise has a unique itinerary since it's 11 nights.  
Watch for cruise compasses here:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=1079

Also, as many will mention, I’m a big fan of the plastic luggage tag covers you can purchase from Amazon or from @CruiseHabit Ric. Will keep you from rushing on embarkation morning trying to borrow a hotel stapler and hoping that they don’t fall off. 

Were planning on using them on our Navigator sailing even though all we’ll have it carry on bags and using The Key. Hopefully it’ll be an extra layer of making sure they don’t get lost. 

We put luggage tags on our carry-ones b/c half the time Dan has no idea what our cabin number is !

I agree with this.  Anything that isn't the back pack I use as a purse while traveling is going to have a cruise tag on it in case it gets separated from me.  Since I will have children with me on at least half my sailings it is easy to lose track of things. 

For our July trip the clam shells tend to come and go on the planner.  2 weeks ago there were none, today they are offering them at $33. 
I don't know if my memory is failing or I am confusing it with Labadee, but I seem to recall they also offer beach beds and bungalows.  Both are cheaper than the Bungalow, but more expensive than the clam shell.  Bungalows can only hold 6, cabanas hold 8.  Cabanas also come with some other little perks compared to the bungalow.  I want to say the bungalows cost @200.
We took the cabana and pounced on it early on bc it was 449.  For 6 adults that came down to @75 pp.  This is our big splurge on the cruise.  I broke it down this way to get them to bite off on the idea.  There are only 14 cabanas.  It is on a secluded part of the beach that you can only gain entry if you have a cabana.  It comes with a personal cabana attendant.  Shade, sofas, lounge chairs and floating mats.  No need to bring bottle water or towels off the ship, just show up.  The cabana also has USB ports to play your own music.  We will be there for @ 6 hrs, thus the hrly break down was $12 per hr.    Once I placed that in their minds, everybody agreed 
Coco Cay is my favorite stop.  If it was just my hubby and I,  I would get the clam shell.  I never find the beach too crowded, but if you want shade, I find that hard to get.  I am going to assume it will be even less crowded on the beach side with Chill and Thrill being opened for your Feb. sailing.

As much as I'm not a fan of the Perfect Day makeover, I agree with the above.  Extras on private islands are always expensive, DCL keeps raising their cabana prices on Castaway Cay and they keep selling out almost as soon as they open them for booking.  Each Disney Cruise several people go to guest services to be put on a wait list to hopefully snag a cabana and pay the $600+ for it!  I'm a bit reluctant to be too upset at a cruise line for charging prices that seem insane if people are tripping over each other to pay it.
Coco Cay will still have free stuff to do, I have no intention of boycotting the island just because I'm not interested in paying for the premium things.  If you want a beach stop on a private island then there is no reason to stay on the ship.

CocoCay has been around for several decades.  I often visit with zero purchases, or maybe a few drinks, or maybe an excursion.  It depends.  Sometimes I want to do more than just beach.  The point is you don't have to ride in a balloon.  Cabanas are a luxury.  So are suites.  So are specialty restaurants.  I often cruise without any of those.  Just did 13 nights in an interior cabin, had a blast.