Momof4crazytocruise

Yes, I ask for a Grey Goose Cosmopolitan, a Patron Margarita, a Bulleit Sidecar, and never have any problem as long as they're not taking a bunch of orders at once (like in the theater, I know that that margarita came back with well tequila). I also find that, after a good tip, the other ingredients become premium also, such as Grand Marnier instead of shelf triple sec (although you could just ask for that too).

Yeah, but that won’t solve the problem of the parents who created the issue. They can be just as bad, if not worse. 

I concur with the take the stairs and walk the long way strategies. I also don't really change my normal eating habits all that much on a cruise (i.e. I am not eating more or worse than I normally do, or eating things I wouldn't really eat normally - but I do enjoy the daily cream puff at the coffee shop). I prefer sit down over the buffet to keep consistent portion sizes, and I only eat when I am hungry. Lots of water throughout the day (in addition to plenty of cocktails - my drinking habits DO change with that drink package). I get up in the morning and walk the track while listening to an audio book. I always end the day with around 20,000 steps because we move around a lot! I do recommend doing the line dancing rather than fitness classes, way more fun and you still get cardio. Do I gain a few pounds? probably - but I am certainly not obsessing over it - I just manage it when I get home by getting back to my regular exercising, eating and drinking habits and it all settles out. I choose not to let the threat of a few extra pounds control my whole vacation.

Easy solution is to open all beverages upon service. If one wants to rescrew the cap on a 16oz aluminum C- bottle and drink it flat at home, they win. 

Sigh... I feel like this is another sign I am out growing Royal.  
It's not Royal so much, just some of the clientele leaves me thinking it's time to move on.
Let's start a tread on how to steal those awesome towels!  

If this is how cruisers are approaching it these days, we will know why some future change to the drink package rules is implemented.   

I have to say if you are "diamond level" cruisers than you would know Royal charges a 'premium" to choose the location of your cabin. 

You're interpreting it all wrong.  You don't pay $1000 to select your cabin.  You save $1000 if you are ok with RCI selecting your cabin.
Either choose the savings or don't.  You have the choice.

I mean, why not?
 

I couldn't imagine being on vacation, policing what other people are wearing and then creating an account just to make a post about what other people are wearing. 

I could not care less about people wearing pajamas around the ship.

Never had a lost bag on embarkation but they lost one of ours leaving the ship in Galveston in Sept.

Not a service animal. Fluffy needs to stay home. If you can't leave the animal then you don't need to be cruising. 
I was a working dog handler in the military and have worked with the service animals for the blind and my mother currently volunteers with the Paws for Passengers at the Reno Airport.
I am in healthcare now and I can't even count the number of times patients have asked me to write letters for them to take their animals with them. I have said no everytime.
I know what it takes to have to need these very specialized animals and to have to them trained. Service animals cost thousands of dollars in training and everyone that wants to take Fluffy with them to the store, Dr's office, to dinner, on the plane, or on a cruise, diminishes the real service animals and does a disservice to the disabled that truly need them.

No, this is highly unusual and extremely generous of them.

I am not ok with them charging for it. I wouldn't pay it. 

I clicked on this thinking it might be Indy, and describing the trashy behavior we saw on our last cruise on her, which convinced us we're never taking less than 5 night cruises and never from Port Canaveral again... alas, it was about Indy, but not about drunk topless lap dances in the hot tubs while kiddies are watching a movie by the pool in the early evening. Sigh. 

Some things I felt very helpful.
1) Don't bring the giant stroller. There is not a lot of room in the cabin, and it take up a lot of space. Invest in a compact folding stroller. We had one that folded up the size of a carry on suit case and we could store it in the closet. Bring the baby carrier. You really won't want to fight the stroller everywhere and wait for elevators all the time. We used the stroller in port and in the Windjammer so baby could sit while we ate. 
2) Call and request a pack and play be in the room when you arrive.  The room steward will set it and a make it up each evening just like a bed, and then you don't have to bring one.
3) Bring WAY more diapers than you think you will need. If you can get in town early enough, plan a trip to Walmart or somewhere and buy a big box and just check that at the port like you would a suit case (pack 10 more than you think you will use in the diaper bag for boarding day). Or have some shipped to the hotel, but check with them first. Bring bags to put dirty diapers in and take them to the hallway or public bathroom trashcans. Those get emptied frequently and your cabin won't be stinky by diapers sitting all day.
4) We found that on some ships you could check out toys, or during the day they would set up the teen club for a few hours with toys for the babies and toddlers.
5) When you get on the ship, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go DIRECTLY to the nursery to fill out paperwork and get your reservations. The nursery fills up very quickly and you will find that it is harder to get a dinner break than you realized. 
6) if you are nursing and planning to pump - request a medical refrigerator. The ones in the room are coolers and the milk will not keep. I found using the key words "nursing mother or breastfeeding mother' got me almost anything I needed with little to no argument. 
7) visit the dining room after boarding and ask them to add a highchair to your reservation. That way it's already set up when you arrive. 
8. For flying - pack WAY more diapers than you think you will need and 3 more outfits than usual. My kids were guaranteed to have a massive blowout somewhere in the process. 

Some things I felt very helpful.
1) Don't bring the giant stroller. There is not a lot of room in the cabin, and it take up a lot of space. Invest in a compact folding stroller. We had one that folded up the size of a carry on suit case and we could store it in the closet. Bring the baby carrier. You really won't want to fight the stroller everywhere and wait for elevators all the time. We used the stroller in port and in the Windjammer so baby could sit while we ate. 
2) Call and request a pack and play be in the room when you arrive.  The room steward will set it and a make it up each evening just like a bed, and then you don't have to bring one.
3) Bring WAY more diapers than you think you will need. If you can get in town early enough, plan a trip to Walmart or somewhere and buy a big box and just check that at the port like you would a suit case (pack 10 more than you think you will use in the diaper bag for boarding day). Or have some shipped to the hotel, but check with them first. Bring bags to put dirty diapers in and take them to the hallway or public bathroom trashcans. Those get emptied frequently and your cabin won't be stinky by diapers sitting all day.
4) We found that on some ships you could check out toys, or during the day they would set up the teen club for a few hours with toys for the babies and toddlers.
5) When you get on the ship, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go DIRECTLY to the nursery to fill out paperwork and get your reservations. The nursery fills up very quickly and you will find that it is harder to get a dinner break than you realized. 
6) if you are nursing and planning to pump - request a medical refrigerator. The ones in the room are coolers and the milk will not keep. I found using the key words "nursing mother or breastfeeding mother' got me almost anything I needed with little to no argument. 
7) visit the dining room after boarding and ask them to add a highchair to your reservation. That way it's already set up when you arrive. 
8. For flying - pack WAY more diapers than you think you will need and 3 more outfits than usual. My kids were guaranteed to have a massive blowout somewhere in the process. 

My kids don't really drink soda, so I bring along the little bottles of flavoring you can get in the grocery store and just a little squirt goes a long way. I bring a few different options for the kiddies - even Koolaid has a version now and it's sugar free, and they are perfectly happy choosing a flavor for their water bottle. Costs me about $12 for 3-4 of those, and that's enough for the whole cruise for 4 kids. I also bring along the little powder packets of Gatorade and such. Much better options than unlimited lemonade and soda sugar intake-wise for the kiddies, and they still have options AND I don't pay for the packages. We do let them get a few smoothies or whatever and we just pay ala carte for those. 

Can they fit? Yes. Will they fit? Possibly. Will it be comfortable? NO! My two boys who are 12& 13 do not fit. The pull out couch is roughly the size of a full size bed with less support. YMMV.

We did it with ours a few months older. Do everything @Momof4crazytocruise suggested. We also had a lighter car seat for flying. Pro tip, you can have Amazon deliver diapers, etc to the hotel you are staying at prior to the cruise. Most importantly, don't let others discourage you. Each cruise with a child is very different and we have never regretted one.

Some things I felt very helpful.
1) Don't bring the giant stroller. There is not a lot of room in the cabin, and it take up a lot of space. Invest in a compact folding stroller. We had one that folded up the size of a carry on suit case and we could store it in the closet. Bring the baby carrier. You really won't want to fight the stroller everywhere and wait for elevators all the time. We used the stroller in port and in the Windjammer so baby could sit while we ate. 
2) Call and request a pack and play be in the room when you arrive.  The room steward will set it and a make it up each evening just like a bed, and then you don't have to bring one.
3) Bring WAY more diapers than you think you will need. If you can get in town early enough, plan a trip to Walmart or somewhere and buy a big box and just check that at the port like you would a suit case (pack 10 more than you think you will use in the diaper bag for boarding day). Or have some shipped to the hotel, but check with them first. Bring bags to put dirty diapers in and take them to the hallway or public bathroom trashcans. Those get emptied frequently and your cabin won't be stinky by diapers sitting all day.
4) We found that on some ships you could check out toys, or during the day they would set up the teen club for a few hours with toys for the babies and toddlers.
5) When you get on the ship, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go DIRECTLY to the nursery to fill out paperwork and get your reservations. The nursery fills up very quickly and you will find that it is harder to get a dinner break than you realized. 
6) if you are nursing and planning to pump - request a medical refrigerator. The ones in the room are coolers and the milk will not keep. I found using the key words "nursing mother or breastfeeding mother' got me almost anything I needed with little to no argument. 
7) visit the dining room after boarding and ask them to add a highchair to your reservation. That way it's already set up when you arrive. 
8. For flying - pack WAY more diapers than you think you will need and 3 more outfits than usual. My kids were guaranteed to have a massive blowout somewhere in the process. 

Obviously I'm a little late to the 🥳, but i can't believe how many have said they don't notice a lot of people tipping. Folks, tipping done right is discreet! You fold up your bill behind your key card so that the bill and card are about the same size and hand it to the bartender in one swoop. The bartender will be equally as discreet in pocketing that tip. It's not like people are waving cash to get attention to get served first (well, unless you're sailing out of NYC, which that behavior makes me cringe 😬 I've seen it.  It's not a good look).
 

Both although I rarely, if ever, get any ordered drinks in the WJ.  So mostly service in the WJ just relates to food. I’m always grateful for the staff who clean up after us and keep our table clean.

Regarding whether or not a staff member actually keeps the cash tips or puts them into a combined fund...I have finally decided that it isn't my business and I don't really worry about it.  I leave the tip I'm going to leave and what happens to it after it leaves my hand is irrelevant to me.  Sure, I would rather have the person who provided me the service get the money, but the tip sharing policy is not something that I have any control over.  The only thing I can control is whether or not I leave a tip, so I do.
I follow this "rule" whether it's a bartender or a meal server.  I tip at every meal whether I eat at a specialty restaurant or the Windjammer.  99% of the time I leave my tip on the table and depart the pattern.  What happens to that money after I leave is, and will always remain, a mystery.  It's simply none of my business.