ThyriC

I'm going to have to concur with the masses and say get a good sunblock and apply LIBERALLY.  Then after an hour, apply more.  And then more.  That's how people get burned with sunblock.  Then after sun, moisturize!  Your skin will thank you.
I used to be a tan before I sunned type.  So if you MUST sit in a tanning bed, try the ones with the quartz lenses.  They reduce the amount of time you're exposed to UV.  I'd go for about 5-7 minutes, once a week for 4 weeks, then 10 minutes, once a week for 4 more weeks.  That should get you a decent enough of a base tan with minimal UV exposure and minimal UV damage.  But that doesnt absolve you of your sunblock responsibility!  Even with your base tan, sunblock sunblock sunblock!!  And after sun, moisturize!!  Like, a LOT.  Slather that stuff on.  A good quality sunblock of a minimum SPF30, and then a moisturizer like my personal favourite Body Drench  (used to be sold a lot at tanning salons for post tan moisturization)  
 

For #5, I dont have children in 2019 however, perhaps a bit of alternate advice rather than making the child miserable by putting them in something they hate.  You want to do formal night, GREAT!  Kids, go to Sorrentos, the WJ, or have room service for dinner.  If they're teenagers, I'm sure they're responsible enough to be left alone for 2-3 hours while those wishing to partake in formal night can.  You can express to them that you'd really like if they participated in formal night together as a family, but its their choice.   That said, sometimes a bribe works as well.  A bribe of a mocktail with dinner, a nice souvenir or something like that. 
Also, there are places like ThinkGeek that make polo shirts and even formalwear with a nerd culture or video game theme if your kids are into that.  I'm 40+ and I'm still young at heart enough to enjoy those clothes.  If they're into sports, almost all sports teams stores carry polo shirts with a team logo to indulge in their sporty nature.   Formal night doesnt have to mean slapping on a suit, especially for kids, they're a little more lenient.  How about "nice jeans".  Black jeans go with any polo shirt!  

For #5, I dont have children in 2019 however, perhaps a bit of alternate advice rather than making the child miserable by putting them in something they hate.  You want to do formal night, GREAT!  Kids, go to Sorrentos, the WJ, or have room service for dinner.  If they're teenagers, I'm sure they're responsible enough to be left alone for 2-3 hours while those wishing to partake in formal night can.  You can express to them that you'd really like if they participated in formal night together as a family, but its their choice.   That said, sometimes a bribe works as well.  A bribe of a mocktail with dinner, a nice souvenir or something like that. 
Also, there are places like ThinkGeek that make polo shirts and even formalwear with a nerd culture or video game theme if your kids are into that.  I'm 40+ and I'm still young at heart enough to enjoy those clothes.  If they're into sports, almost all sports teams stores carry polo shirts with a team logo to indulge in their sporty nature.   Formal night doesnt have to mean slapping on a suit, especially for kids, they're a little more lenient.  How about "nice jeans".  Black jeans go with any polo shirt!  

I'm a fan of the drink package.  Its more the peace of mind than trying to beat the drinking game.  I like to think of it more like "drinking insurance" than I think of it as a game of "beat the house".  Here's why.
1.  Soda costs 3.50 each.  Same with bottled water.  Do you like bottled water or do you like tap water?  Do you like tea or lemonade over soda?
2.  Specialty Coffees are in the 5 dollar range.  Do you like your coffee plain?  Or do you like a latte or other specialty coffee?  
3.  Adult beverages.  Your typical rum and coke will run you around 8 dollars.  A Lava Flow with Kraken rum will run you 13.  
Now lets add up our numbers.  You wake up, have a latte or two.  That's 10 dollars for the day thus far.  Now you go do trivia or something and have a soda.  We're up to 13.50 for the day.  Its now lunchtime.  We're on vacation so we get our day drinking on.  Lets have that lava flow.  26.50 for the day.  Lets also have a bottle of water so we dont have issues with alcohol.  we're already at 30 on the day.  Now we have a latte at midday for a little extra pep, 35 for the day.  Lets have a soda before dinner.  38.50 for the day.  Lets have a glass of wine with dinner.  45 for the day.  We go to the nightclub or to the evening show, lets have a rum and coke and dont forget that bottle of water.  56.50 for the day.  Before gratuity on the adult beverages.  You're pushing 60 dollars without the DBP and that's really not drinking heavily at all.  
And this isnt trying to challenge our alcohol tolerance in the least and we've hit a rather high number for the DBP.  Anything more than that, and you've exceeded the DBP.  That's not to say you cant have a great time having regular coffee or tea with breakfast, drinking tap water, "enhanced water" tea and lemonade throughout the day, the same with lunch and dinner, and maybe one alcoholic beverage a day to get you to 13 a day.  Then, yes, the DBP is not for you.  
But for me, I'm on vacation.  I want my frozen adult beverages.  I want my special coffees, and I need my soda to survive.  I'm not a fan of tap water on a ship.  Its definitely drinkable, I'm just not a fan of it.  Bottled for me please.  
 

I wish there'd be more smoker friendly areas that dont intrude on the nonsmokers.  Like installing better filtration areas in the casino as well as doors so that nonsmokers dont have to be inundated by the smoke cloud.  A cigar bar would be just heaven to me.   Same with the outdoor smoking areas.  I dont want nonsmokers needing to walk through my cloud just to get to where they need to go. But I also dont want smoking to be made so inconvenient for me that I need to crawl inside of the funnel, do a handstand, while carrying the hope diamond just to be able to smoke.  I try, I really REALLY do try to be considerate of the non smokers.  I dont blow my smoke in their direction, I dont hold my cigarette out into their path of travel, and I move my cigarette so a child doesnt see and think that I must be a really cool person and thus smoking must be cool.  But some of the hysterics I've seen from nonsmokers, entering into the small smoker friendly areas is a bit much.  The wild waving of hands, the exaggerated coughing, the need to "inform" me that its a horrible habit, etc.  Hey I get it, its a gross habit.  It'll likely kill me some day.  But until a cruise is made smoke free, we both need to inhabit the same space, lets try to get along.  I'll try not to inconvenience you with my smoke, you try not to go into my dark smoky corner waving hands. 
 

Got the email from Concierge this morning!  @WAAAYTOOO, interesting, new Concierge, Carlington Barry? Is anyone familiar with him?  He just implemented Suite guest get lunch in Main Dining room on Embarkation day which is great, we always booked Chops and had to pay for it. So far, Everything I've requested he's already returned my emails and confirmed bookings.  We are so excited to be on this trip, hoping for no new huge issues with hubby! Our 25th Anniversary sailing into Boston Harbor where we got married!!   

I wish there'd be more smoker friendly areas that dont intrude on the nonsmokers.  Like installing better filtration areas in the casino as well as doors so that nonsmokers dont have to be inundated by the smoke cloud.  A cigar bar would be just heaven to me.   Same with the outdoor smoking areas.  I dont want nonsmokers needing to walk through my cloud just to get to where they need to go. But I also dont want smoking to be made so inconvenient for me that I need to crawl inside of the funnel, do a handstand, while carrying the hope diamond just to be able to smoke.  I try, I really REALLY do try to be considerate of the non smokers.  I dont blow my smoke in their direction, I dont hold my cigarette out into their path of travel, and I move my cigarette so a child doesnt see and think that I must be a really cool person and thus smoking must be cool.  But some of the hysterics I've seen from nonsmokers, entering into the small smoker friendly areas is a bit much.  The wild waving of hands, the exaggerated coughing, the need to "inform" me that its a horrible habit, etc.  Hey I get it, its a gross habit.  It'll likely kill me some day.  But until a cruise is made smoke free, we both need to inhabit the same space, lets try to get along.  I'll try not to inconvenience you with my smoke, you try not to go into my dark smoky corner waving hands. 
 

I wish there'd be more smoker friendly areas that dont intrude on the nonsmokers.  Like installing better filtration areas in the casino as well as doors so that nonsmokers dont have to be inundated by the smoke cloud.  A cigar bar would be just heaven to me.   Same with the outdoor smoking areas.  I dont want nonsmokers needing to walk through my cloud just to get to where they need to go. But I also dont want smoking to be made so inconvenient for me that I need to crawl inside of the funnel, do a handstand, while carrying the hope diamond just to be able to smoke.  I try, I really REALLY do try to be considerate of the non smokers.  I dont blow my smoke in their direction, I dont hold my cigarette out into their path of travel, and I move my cigarette so a child doesnt see and think that I must be a really cool person and thus smoking must be cool.  But some of the hysterics I've seen from nonsmokers, entering into the small smoker friendly areas is a bit much.  The wild waving of hands, the exaggerated coughing, the need to "inform" me that its a horrible habit, etc.  Hey I get it, its a gross habit.  It'll likely kill me some day.  But until a cruise is made smoke free, we both need to inhabit the same space, lets try to get along.  I'll try not to inconvenience you with my smoke, you try not to go into my dark smoky corner waving hands. 
 

I wish there'd be more smoker friendly areas that dont intrude on the nonsmokers.  Like installing better filtration areas in the casino as well as doors so that nonsmokers dont have to be inundated by the smoke cloud.  A cigar bar would be just heaven to me.   Same with the outdoor smoking areas.  I dont want nonsmokers needing to walk through my cloud just to get to where they need to go. But I also dont want smoking to be made so inconvenient for me that I need to crawl inside of the funnel, do a handstand, while carrying the hope diamond just to be able to smoke.  I try, I really REALLY do try to be considerate of the non smokers.  I dont blow my smoke in their direction, I dont hold my cigarette out into their path of travel, and I move my cigarette so a child doesnt see and think that I must be a really cool person and thus smoking must be cool.  But some of the hysterics I've seen from nonsmokers, entering into the small smoker friendly areas is a bit much.  The wild waving of hands, the exaggerated coughing, the need to "inform" me that its a horrible habit, etc.  Hey I get it, its a gross habit.  It'll likely kill me some day.  But until a cruise is made smoke free, we both need to inhabit the same space, lets try to get along.  I'll try not to inconvenience you with my smoke, you try not to go into my dark smoky corner waving hands. 
 

I am a former smoker and I am with ThyriC on this one.  I just roll my eyes when I see people running through the casino with their shirts covering their whole face and gesturing wildly, as if that’s going to help.  Find another way to get to where you’re going, for God’s sake !  It may be out of your way, but you CAN get to where you’re going without trapesing through the casino where you KNOW there’s going to be smoke !
No one hates having a smoldering cigarette in their face more than me but if it ever gets THAT bad, I will just quit going in there.  It’s my choice.

I'm super picky about my eggs too, so I never order scrambled.  Not even like at a hotel or anything.  NOPE I need to see me some actual egg, not something from a box or powdered.  
Usually my room service order, I just get some muffins or a bagel or something small for "first breakfast"  then to the WJ or MDR for "second breakfast"
 
I swear on a cruise I eat like a hobbit.  

I'm super picky about my eggs too, so I never order scrambled.  Not even like at a hotel or anything.  NOPE I need to see me some actual egg, not something from a box or powdered.  
Usually my room service order, I just get some muffins or a bagel or something small for "first breakfast"  then to the WJ or MDR for "second breakfast"
 
I swear on a cruise I eat like a hobbit.  

I'm not a huge fan of this "hack".  I AM a fan of it for packing because you can just roll it packed up and then unroll onboard the ship.  However I mean you "could" put the organizer on the outside of the door, or use magnetic hooks to put the organizer on a wall outside of the bathroom or similar.  

?
99 days til we go on the cruise!
99 days til we go!
Sun goes down and comes back around,
98 days til we go on the cruise!
 
98 days til we go on the cruise!
98 days til we go!
Sun goes down and comes back around,
97 days til we go on the cruise!
 
97 days til we go on the cruise!
97 days til we go!
...
?
 
?

I meant checked with the ship.  This bird doesnt fly.  And trains are very generous with their luggage size allotments.  

I meant checked with the ship.  This bird doesnt fly.  And trains are very generous with their luggage size allotments.  

I hate to say it .... Grandeur is NOT one of the ships being featured on the app.... so we'll knock that out right now...
As for the Menu on a 9-night Grandeur Cruise ..... I'm sorry, I don't have that ..... But here's an idea, since the menus are very similar across the fleet .... it would seem reasonable to me that if you found another 9-night itinerary on another ship, that menu would be real close to being accurate.

On grandeur they offered a plate cover in the Windjammer if you needed it.  Similar to room service covers.  It probably avoids cleaning up a spilled mess.  

I use the packing cubes from ebags.  I get 2 large, 4 medium and 4 smalls and those fill my 2 suitcases with room for things that dont fit in the cubes.  I love them.  I dont use any compression cubes because I'm horrible at compressing things that much, and I dont have a vacuum for vacuum bags while on the cruise to repack.  
Mine are purple because.... they're PURPLE I have to have them!  

Great topic.  Unfortunately for me there is not one solid answer.  If I had to select one itinerary it would be Galapagos.  I have too many cruise “things” I would like to do.  
Here are a few of the items I want to check off or have completed.
- cross Arctic Circle - done
- transit Panama Canal - done
- Trans- Atlantic - fall 2019
- Trans- Pacific/Dateline - booked Spring 2021
- Cross Equator
- Antarctica 
 

I use the packing cubes from ebags.  I get 2 large, 4 medium and 4 smalls and those fill my 2 suitcases with room for things that dont fit in the cubes.  I love them.  I dont use any compression cubes because I'm horrible at compressing things that much, and I dont have a vacuum for vacuum bags while on the cruise to repack.  
Mine are purple because.... they're PURPLE I have to have them!  

I need to introduce you to my wife some day... ? 

I use the packing cubes from ebags.  I get 2 large, 4 medium and 4 smalls and those fill my 2 suitcases with room for things that dont fit in the cubes.  I love them.  I dont use any compression cubes because I'm horrible at compressing things that much, and I dont have a vacuum for vacuum bags while on the cruise to repack.  
Mine are purple because.... they're PURPLE I have to have them!  

I'd love to +1 this suggestion for additions to the cruise compasses.  
 
Not that I'd ever mind ANY of the food selections available, I'm on a CRUISE!  Then again I'm not a picky eater in the least and chicken liver with brussels sprouts would be fine by me if I'm on a cruise (I actually like brussels sprouts, but liver of any kind is grounds for divorce)