Mr. Candyman

That would be the reason.....definitely won't be waiting next time.  Any idea when the last increase was?

Just like @JLMoran said, if Royal raises gratuities, you will be grandfathered in to the old rate. My TA, @StephanieH, said the same thing.

Just to have the peace of mind that it's taken care of.....no advantages at all.  In my case I was paying for 6 of us; so to not have an additional $605 at the end of the cruise added some comfort.

If you use a travel agent, don't call Royal. Call your TA and let them know you want to pre-pay the gratuities. They'll process the reservation update and get the charge applied to your card.
I've done this on every cruise I've booked with my TA, knowing full well I plan to pre-pay after I've passed final payment and hit a new billing cycle on the card. At that point it's just one extra monthly payment in the series I've been making since booking.

In cruise planner, they had offered an All-Printed package for the same price as All-digital package and both packages combined for an extra $80.

To answer your questions:
1.  The price on board is usually around $60-$80 more if purchased onboard. 
2.  The price is per cabin so in cruise planner, you just need select one person in your cabin.  It doesn't matter who as there is no "head" person
3.  You get all pictures (either digital, printed, or both depending on what you choose) taken of the people in the stateroom and any children of yours under the age of 21; even if they are staying in separate cabins.     
4.  Totally worth it if you can take as many pictures a possible.  Individual pictures run $20 each.
I managed to get 97 pictures in our short 4 day voyage.  It would have been more but we were already rushed because of Dorian with the crew trying to squeeze in shows and everything else in that short time.  We were like non stop from 3:00pm-Midnight pretty much everyday.

Yes!  Dorian did not take away my achieving Diamond on that Allure cruise!  Couldn't be more pleased with how Royal handled the situation, especially when I was reading about how other cruise lines handled it.

Check out this blog post by @Matt for some great complimentary ideas:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/04/30/perfect-day-cococay-everything-you-need-know
Also these videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HCYe809pmE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXgfraHCI50
 

Regular texting does not work on Wi-Fi with android phones. Im unsure when it comes to Apple, but believe its possible.

One thing to bear in mind is that the buffet in the MDR is much smaller than in the WJ so the choices are more limited. It's also proportional in size to the ship, which can be a deal breaker. We found that on Harmony and Navigator it was sufficiently varied for our fairly limited needs, but on Serenade it was not, so we only went once on Serenade and used the WJ thereafter on that ship.

We were there at 10:00 am

My opinion is that RoyalUp is really only worth it if it's a bump up for:
Inside >> Oceanview or Balcony (has to be reasonably cheap as I often find the original booking price points to be close)
Balcony >> Grand Suite or above (has to be cheap because no double points)
Junior Suite >> Grand Suite or above (has to be reasonably cheap or at least what you think having free room service and access to CK on Oasis/Quantum classes is worth and the internet package)
Grand Suite >> Anything higher (has to be worth what the extra room/balcony space is worth it to you OR going to Star Class on Oasis/Quantum has the additional quantifiable value of unlimited specialty dining, drink package, internet)

Definitely go with the Voom.  I'm pretty sure with AT&T, once you reach 200mb, you'll be charge a ridiculous amount for an additional 200mbs.  Also, if you trying to text with others on board, then you might want to look into a multi-device plan..   

I have had to wait out side a couple times... Most memorably in San Juan.  It gets a little chaotic with people coming out but not horrible.  By 10 the doors are open and you never have to wait in a security line... No one is there!  Them you have time to check in, shop for another lanyard (I have quite the collection lol) and enjoy knowing you will be on the ship in under an hour and your vacation has begun!  Jane

Yes, I’ll add my favorite towel animal from our last cruise on Ovation - the panda mascots that are on the top deck.

We got off the Harmony on 6/23/19 & can confirm that the waivers were done on tv in cabin. No longer available online prior to cruise. 

Once you're onboard, goto the available networks on your phone and choose the ships WiFi....it should sync once you do that.

There seems to be an update about every 2-3 weeks so maybe it'll be better your next time around.  It'll be in Beta mode for awhile so I'll give you update in a couple of months

I’ll confirm that in Vancouver we were able to go through screening with our checked bags.  It was a SNAFU with boarding there but we each had a backpack and regular full sized suitcase.  We were routed incorrectly by a port worker more than once.  I thought it was going to be a problem with the size of the bags at security but they made it through.  We carried them all the way onto the ship and to the room. 

There seems to be an update about every 2-3 weeks so maybe it'll be better your next time around.  It'll be in Beta mode for awhile so I'll give you update in a couple of months

There seems to be an update about every 2-3 weeks so maybe it'll be better your next time around.  It'll be in Beta mode for awhile so I'll give you update in a couple of months

I would rather just drive down to Ft. Lauderdale the 3 hours than have to deal with driving to the airport> airport parking> taking luggage to baggage check> baggage fees> TSA> waiting at the gate> boarding process> flying to FLL> deplaning> baggage claim> shuttle/bus/Uber to the cruise port and then doing it all over again when you get back.
But, I am also cheap and wouldn't want to pay for airfare when I don't have to!

My items have stayed in there until I remove them or make the purchase.  Keep in mind just because they are in the cart doesn't mean that price is locked in.  If RCI changes the price it will be reflected when you make the purchase or the website will give you an error.  

We've used the kids club twice recently on both the Navigator and the Empress and I will give you our experiences.
It's best to register the first day and get the details.  They have registration in the afternoon and evening.
We did not run into a full kids club in December 2018 or May 2019 but they did tell us the capacity and if we wanted to make sure she got in to be there at the beginning of the session.  We only used it for the evening session and the after 10 babysitting.  After 10 is $7 an hour till 2 am.  If you aren't there by 10 you get charged in 15 minute increments at a much higher rate. 
Age 3 and under or special needs gets a pager.  What they consider special needs varies by ship.  In December we did not get a pager for our daughter but in May we did.  Otherwise they try to call you at the cabin or track you down.  They do have access to your schedule if you have things scheduled. 
They won't need their sea pass on them, just bring it with you.  You or anyone picking them up also needs theirs.  In December (but not May) they gave our daughter a lanyard in AO so we had her carry her card until she lost it then decided that wasn't a good idea.  She is 7
In October we plan to have her try the day time program and keep her out more at night because she likes shows so I want to take her to a few of those.  I also think the day time program activities might be more interactive.
Hope this helps.