Momof4crazytocruise

I would not send anything for the wash and fold service that you really care about. They do a fine job, but you can tell they're definitely using very hot water and very hot drying for anything that goes in for the wash and fold. Most of the time I'll only send t-shirts, socks, and underwear. 

Laundry is a challenge for us too. I end up packing for the whole family 'per day' in packing cubes (1 cube has everything everybody needs for that day, and I just pull that cube out in the morning, and last night's dirties go right back into the newly emptied cube, and back into the suitcase). I also pack a small bottle of laundry detergent and stain treatment so I can hand wash some things in the sink if needed (i.e undies for the littles should we have an accident, or run low). We do take advantage of the stuff the bag for laundry, and use the 'coupon' for it if they have one, but really only if something is so gross (i.e. barfed on or whatever, that we don't want sitting around for a week in the cabin). Mainly we just get very efficient with our packing to minimize. I can pack my entire family of 6 in 2 suitcases and a couple of carry ons using packing cubes and carefully planned strategy for a 7 day cruise.  
 

I am pleased to report that the Bourbon was WELL STOCKED onboard Quantum of the Seas last week!
One hiccup that I had on Day One is that ONE BAR did not have Buffalo Trace. The bartender told me that they would have it the next day as they had not yet received their restock yet. All other bars I visited that day did have it.
For the duration of the Cruise, all bars we visited had Buffalo Trace (YES!), Maker's Mark, Bulleit, Bulleit Rye, & Jim Beam. I don't recall seeing Four Roses, but I was also not seeking it out.

If connected rooms are important, I would have paid the extra $200, I think the odds of it happening with GTY rate are very slim. 
 
fingers crossed 

I just did a guarantee room for a sailing that is 40 days out now.  I did check in at 45 days and was surprised to see I had a room assignment in an improved category.  
 
One thing to note… if a connected room is important to you, it might be worth the money to select your stateroom. These have a tendency to go faster than non-connected. 

Contacting Royal Caribbean is all you can do at this point.
I'd also recommend transferring your reservation a travel agent so they can assist with these sorts of issues (and many others you may not even be thinking of).

Independence November 7-11, 2022

Wheat a while and see if any become available. 

Correct. Your beverage packages are honored all over the ship and no need to bring your cups anywhere if you don't want to. The card shows you have a beverage package, not the cup. The only time you absolutely need the cup is if you're using the self serve Coke Freestyle machines, if your ship even has them. We don't even bother with the cups and just leave them in the cabin and order what we want from anywhere. 
 

Correct. Your beverage packages are honored all over the ship and no need to bring your cups anywhere if you don't want to. The card shows you have a beverage package, not the cup. The only time you absolutely need the cup is if you're using the self serve Coke Freestyle machines, if your ship even has them. We don't even bother with the cups and just leave them in the cabin and order what we want from anywhere. 
 

Correct. Your beverage packages are honored all over the ship and no need to bring your cups anywhere if you don't want to. The card shows you have a beverage package, not the cup. The only time you absolutely need the cup is if you're using the self serve Coke Freestyle machines, if your ship even has them. We don't even bother with the cups and just leave them in the cabin and order what we want from anywhere. 
 

Correct. Your beverage packages are honored all over the ship and no need to bring your cups anywhere if you don't want to. The card shows you have a beverage package, not the cup. The only time you absolutely need the cup is if you're using the self serve Coke Freestyle machines, if your ship even has them. We don't even bother with the cups and just leave them in the cabin and order what we want from anywhere. 
 

I will tell you, handsdown that the guac at Sabor was worth every penny of the extra dining costs. I could have eaten 2 as my meal. 

Why would that be wrong?  It’s your cruise, do it your way.  You don’t HAVE to spend a dime on board if you don’t want to.  Of course Royal is going to tempt you with add-ons, they are in business to make money and they do so with the add-ons.  Doesn’t mean you have to buy any of them.

That's just RC playing to the locals, knowing that a great majority of cruisers out of Galveston are Texans. The flag and Texas pride are marketing techiniques in all aspects of businesses down here. When I first moved to Texas from Colorado I found it to be a little obnoxious, however it has grown on me. And I will say the CO has begun to rival Texas with their flag on dang near every possible surface and product. For a long time Enchantment had a cruise director from Texas sailing out of Texas. It was a hoot. During the parade of Flags on the last night - he would bring out the Texas flag and recognize crew members from Texas along with all the countries and they would line dance or whatever and the crowd ate it up. It was a lot of fun. 

I think what you are asking is should kids slip the bartender a dollar for their soda as an adult might for their cocktail.  The answer is no.  

No one has to tip extra for anything since tips are included in everything you buy anyway.
I wouldn't at all be concerned about a kid getting a drink without tipping extra.

I find it disheartening that people are able to find these sites to complain about their cruise but they can’t find them before they cruise to research and find information that would help them enjoy their cruise. 

I have seen in both in port and in the duty free shops on board. 

Just awful. We're scheduled for snorkeling in the same area on our upcoming cruise, and I recall another attack on a younger girl a few years ago in the same location. And now I am off to google 'tips to avoid sharks while snorkeling in the Bahamas'. 

Shark attacks remain extremely rare. The odds of getting fatally attacked by the creature remain less than 1 in 4 million, according to the International Shark Attack File.

Sad news out of Nassau. A Harmony OTS passenger has passed while on a independent snorkel excursion. RIP
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-09-06/shark-attack-in-the-bahamas-kills-58-year-old-american-woman

Our general guide that we use is
Cabin attendant - $50-100 (more if the kids are with us)
MDR - $20-40/each server
Bartenders - $1/drink, or if we're going to be there a while, $5 with first drink. 
Room Service - $5
We also leave $3-5-ish on the table in the Windjammer if we eat there.
We also tip excursion guides and wait staff at all inclusive resorts. We pack a bunch of different denominations. 

Yes, our day after Xmas flight went from $179 to $59 as we were driving to the airport!!  I check every day.  

On a whim I decided to start checking my Southwest tickets for our cruise in November when I do my cruise planner checks to see if I can get a better deal. I had booked separately each way (for various reasons). Just rebooked one leg for $50/each less on the exact same flight, and then cancelled our return tickets which I had booked with points (and repriced last week for 1,500 less points per person in the same manner), and applied the travel funds from the first flight to the exact same flight we were booked for WAY cheaper. Overall for the both of us, I paid less than $300 for our flights. 
So, if you're still reading by now - check your flights! you can rebook like you do drink packages for a better price! (Tuesday is always the best day to buy Southwest tickets, btw) And now that Southwest travel funds never expire, this is an even better deal!