JennyB

Its not that bad, 
If you use your Alcohol package as it should and you  pour on the slice half of Tabasco bottle with some of the dry spices its eatable ....
Also there are two things I love about the Sorrento   :
It reduce the lines in cafe promenade.
It add seating area in the promenade ...
 

Nope, you need to try it for "research purposes" and then live blog it ?

That's horrible news. You MUST try it. It's part of the shared experience talking about how bad it is. 

Sorrentos: Second best reason to get the drink package!

After a night of exercising my drink package, I think it taste good...

Perhaps they purposely make the pizza bad so that everything else tastes better by comparison. ;)

Day 1 is pretty much anything goes.  As long as you are not in swimming attire, you should be fine in the MDR.  If you get cold easily, I would pack a light sweater/cardigan in your backpack/carry-on to wear in the MDR. 

Scratch that question - I just looked, and it has gone down to $20 from yesterday to today. Guess I'd better jump on it.

Yeah, out of our party of 6, my wife is the only one who might have one or 2 drinks in a day (but probably not every day). I don't drink at all, and the rest are not of drinking age. We will get the Refreshment Package and pay for her occasional drink when she wants one.

I have found that if you get the refreshment package on sale ($18-20 is a good sale price depending on ship) then it is very easy to get your money's worth whether or not it's a port day. This is especially true if you will be getting mocktails or non-alcoholic frozen beverages as those add up rather quickly. Also, don't forget that bottled water is included with the package! I also grab a bottle of water from the bar for every drink I order. I'll bring the extra bottles back to the room to use for excursions or just drinking at night in the room. 

I always get at least two iced lattes at Cafe Promenade per morning.  I am an espresso drink fan, so having the latte option somewhere on the ship is important to me AND those I travel with LOL.   Navigator OTS now doesn have a stand alone Starbucks, but those drinks are not included in the beverage packages. 

I like martinis and classic cocktail drinks with dinner.  Depending on the meal, I could have a cosmopolitan, an appletini, even a manhattan (a long lost art that not enough people appreciate) or something interesting from their custom martinis.  Otherwise its white wine
As for bar drinks on a mission, find your favourite bartender, and ask them to make you what THEY like to drink.  Its almost always good and boozy.  .Or after making friends with your friendly neighborhood bartender, ask them to make you something for you special.  Tell them what you like, and what you avoid.  I've had some amazing drinks that are totally new and unique and in my experience asking bartenders to do this for you, they really like doing it.  Most are making strawberry daiquiris and pina coladas all day, it lets them really use their bartending skills.  I know in my job I like actually using my job skills rather than the mundane.  
 

Most ships do offer a by the glass Riesling in the MDR and most specialty restaurants (likely exception being something like Johnny Rockets)  I'm partial to Sauvignon Blanc and was delighted when I saw not one but 2 offerings.  One goes slightly over the cost of what's allowed in the deluxe beverage package but I'm more than willing to spend a little more to try something new.  Not to mention if I happen to love the wine, I can buy a bottle of it at a reduced price with the deluxe beverage package.  
Also keep in mind that you can bring 2 bottles of wine onboard.  So if there's a particular Riesling that  you prefer, bring it in with your carryon luggage!  You can ask to be served that for dinner and they will store your wine for you.  A corkage fee MAY be imposed but if you're particular about your wine, its a small price to pay to have your preferred wine (imo)
Also tell your waiter, the maitre d, your room steward, anyone who may serve you more than once, that you're celebrating your 25th wedding anniversary!  That corkage fee may magically not appear on your bill, that 20 dollar glass of wine may magically become part of your deluxe beverage package.  You never know.  But it never hurts to say something.   
 

The wine list for the main dining room is fixed, but if your ship has a Vintages wine bar on board you can find a much bigger selection there. You're completely free to get a glass there and carry it around the ship, including to the main dining room, so if you don't find any wines to your liking in the MDR then you can go this route your other nights. If you note down the name of the wine you want / got from Vintages, you might even be able to ask your waiter to get a second glass for you after the first runs out.

Yes, you can order as much as you like. If you have a drink package, then as long as the wine is less than the drink package threshold ($12 or $13, depending on the ship) per glass then there is no additional charge. Else, you pay the difference.  If you do not have a drink package, then you pay for what you order.
There is a menu, but they have a full bar so you can order whatever.
I assume you mean with the drink package. Your only limit, per se, is with which wines per glass come in under the drink package allowance.
Yes, same answer as for the MDR.
For Oasis and Quantum Class, it's $13. The rest of the fleet is $12.

We have the deluxe drink package, and I'm a little confused with dinner and drinks.  In the MDR, can I order more than one glass of wine with my dinner?  Do they have a separate drink menu, or you can ask for whatever?  Am I limited to certain wines, because I like a good Riesling with dinner
Same goes for Specialty Dining, can I order more than 1 glass of wine with dinner?
For the specialty drinks, I've seen different pricing, we are on Oasis in a couple weeks, what is the max price before I have to pay out of pocket?  I've seen $13 and I've seen $12 (not that it matters too much, we've given ourselves a $100 budget for going over,  it's our  25th Anniversary, and new empty nesters, so I plan on enjoying myself a little more than normal)

If you purchase a separate dining package, the above is, in general, true.  But there is no requirement to purchase a dining package.  You can eat all of your meals in the Main Dining Room (MDR) at no additional charge.  When you eat in the MDR you can have as many entrees, sides, desserts as you like.  There is no limit to what you can have from the MDR menu.  Dining packages are available, if you choose to NOT eat in the MDR but it is not a requirement to purchase ANY food on board the ship.

4 of us ate at Johnny Rockets on Saturday on Oasis, shake was included in my DX and I was only charged one cover charge! 

Like many purchases while on vacation, Royal is banking on impulse purchases.  With JR Express conveniently located next to the pool deck with plenty foot traffic, their YTD sales #'s will be up. 

I would go to Jonny's if it was included in my cruise fare. I did go there for breakfast one day as it was included.
Why would I go there and pay extra when I can get a burger elsewhere on the ship?

Yep. Not good news for beverage package holders. No milkshakes included in packages with meal or without.  

You have just described the optimal business model.  I cant get enough people to pay 7.00 for a sit down unlimited meal but i can get 4X the amount of people to pay 3 - 5 dollars for less food by the pool.  

I say this often, but I don't think about alcohol fatigue on a long cruise.  I would at least  by the refreshment package that is running at 20 pp/per day, the deluxe is running at 49.  Thus, really what we are talking about is a $29 difference.  That equates to 1 $12 cocktail during the day, a glass of wine at dinner and another at a show for me to not only break even, but also be ahead of the game.
That being said, I also make a call on this decision based on how port intensive the cruise is.  IE my cruise is 8 nights.  We are only stopping at Nassau, Bermuda and Coco Cay (Coco Cay the drink package works on the island).  Thus, it is only 2 ports where we will be on our own to purchase alcohol.  That means for us it is more cost beneficial to buy the package.  When we did Anthem 5 night NE/Canada, we had 3 ports, and 1 true day at sea, 2 if you include embarkation day (all aboard was 2 pm,  we got there @ noon) .  We purchased the package,  but we really didn't buy alcoholic drinks in port, maybe a beer/wine with lunch.  I think part of it was being busy doing touristy things, and part due to if I want to drink I can do it for free on the ship (can't say boat here unless you want @twangster to admonish you).  Now if your cruise is port intensive, than maybe buying the refreshment package is a better deal.  
Final reasons we buy the DBP
1. My husband is not a big drinker, but he finds it fun to try new drinks like the Lava Flow.  If he doesn't like it,  he pitches it and orders a new concoction.  I laugh bc this guy is a bourbon and coke guy, but on a cruise by the pool, everytime I look at him when he gets a drink it is something blended, and than he complains he now has a brain freeze.
2. We are huge fans of RCCL trivia.  They usually offer it a couple of times during the day/night.  On all of our cruises it usually is held in Schooners, sometimes it is held in another bar, but it still is a bar.  It lasts about 30 - 45 mins.  We get a drink there too.   Soooo if you buy only 1 beer during the day at the pool.  Hit Trivia either in the afternoon or evening and order a bourbon  & coke.  Go to late seating dinner and order a Malbec with your lamb shank.  All the while during the day you get your specialty coffee, fresh squeezed OJ in the a.m., and bottles of H20 since you have a refreshment package.  You are there.   
3. I don't believe in alcohol fatigue unless you go in with this idea you MUST drink 4 or 5 drinks per day due to the cost.   See my original point if you purchase the refreshment, than the difference is 29 bucks (got mine at 47).  Thus, for me it is close to 2 drinks and the rest is me getting non-alcoholic beverages.   In essence, 1 drink by the pool, 1 at dinner and I am only losing 3 bucks a night.  
4. Nothing like turning on your tv while you on your cruise to see your bill charges.  ?  I rather have it paid in full and not wait in line on the last night.  Old adage/joke how much is your time worth?  For me, even if I only spend $24 in alcoholic drinks, and when you tally it I am $3 per day in the hole,  (assuming refreshment only package) I would rather pay it all up front than rather wait in line at the customer service deck for 45-60 mins to pay my final bill.
Hope that helps in your decision making process
 
 

The current rules are that everyone in the cabin must get the alcoholic beverage package if one person does. Exceptions are allowed in some specific cases, such as a person being unable to drink due to medications they're taking, or religious practices, or recovering alcoholic. If you have one of those cases, you have to call Royal directly and explain the situation, and then whoever doesn't get an alcohol (Deluxe) package will still have to get the Refreshment (non-alcoholic beverage) package.
It sounds from your comment like you both drink, so in your case you'll need to both get the Deluxe package. But be aware that it covers every kind of beverage on the ship, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. It's actually very easy to "break even" as long as you got the package for a decent sale price. Most of the time, getting a couple of specialty coffees, a couple bottles of water, and two or three cocktails or glasses of wine across the day is enough. And if you get a bottle of water with every alcoholic beverage you get, you'll also stay more than hydrated enough to avoid a hangover. ?

@brianastree here’s another idea...If you have time, just show up earlier (maybe 6:30pm) and just go to the “without reservations” line. If there are only 2 of you, it might not take that long to get a table and then you can eat earlier.