CruisinUpinLife

I cannot recall how early bars open but yes, you can get drinks in the morning.  There are just a lot fewer bars open-try the pool area as it often has one bar open.  The cruise compass may provide you a few clues about how early they open.

Better functioning website.

To know if the deluxe package is worth it you will need to do the math.  My husband and I are in our early 30s and did not find benefits with the DBP on our 7N cruise.  We are getting ready to do another 7N cruise and opted not to purchase the DBP this time.  Also consider that it also includes all specialty coffees (but not Starbucks), bottled water, juices, etc.  When we did a 5N cruise with my family we found it to be more valuable.  We just were drink fatigued at the end of our 7N cruise.  I was also battling serious allergies since I forgot the good meds so that added to my lack of desire to drink.  No matter what your choose, it's really what you think you will drink.  Often people have commented on here that they purchase it, even if they do not get the full value of it each day, for the ease of having it and the lack of a huge bill at the end of their cruise from all their drinks.
I've seen the DBP be as low as $49 per day for my FOTS cruise in Jan 2020.  If you see it drop below $57, go ahead and purchase.  If it drops again, purchase the new reduced price and cancel the higher priced one.  You can do that for no penalty.  Whatever you do, try not to wait until you are on the ship as you will likely pay the highest possible price for it.  Also another note is that you can bring up to 2 bottles of wine per stateroom onto the ship.  You cannot bring liquor or beer...just wine.
Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials and enjoy your honeymoon!

@Sydney97 welcome to the forum and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Good info above from @CruisinUpinLife and @DandA . Here is a great calculator that was developed and posted by @Grenadyr. 
Also know that, depending on how much alcohol you like, you may consider the refreshment package that can be gotten on sale for $20/pp/pd. It includes everything in the deluxe package except the alcohol. We would order a virgin frozen drink (covered in the package) and sometimes add a shot on the side that would run about $10.
Lastly, if you do purchase any package and then see it at a lower price. You can cancel your original order and rebuy at the lower price (refund will take about 3-4 days, unless you paid with on board credit which will show back in your account immediately).
 

Better functioning website.

Cancel the KEY and save your money.  You will be dollars ahead.  Your luggage has to be checked so it can go thru the scanners.  You don`t want to be dragging around a bunch of suitcases.  Carry on`s sure.   Everyone is embarking at the same time.    I.E.   Suites, Key, Platinum, Diamond Plus, Diamond, General Public and so forth.   make sure all your documents are in order.  Matt just did a podcast the other day and the Key was mentioned not to get it. 

@mom2mybugs has a great point on the not wanting a huge bill at the end of the trip...that is one reason some buy the DBP anyways, even if it doesn't add up to the math.  It really comes down to what you want to drink (alcoholic or not) and how you want to get it.  You can also get bottles of water at ports but of course that is less convenient than getting them as you walk off the ship.

I agree with @twangster in the longer the cruise, the harder it is to find the value in a DBP.  I'm not prime either so I cannot answer the question about that but I would assume that those drinks can only be purchased in the casino.  I personally have ordered a DBP (so not prime) from the casino and walked out with them and also walked in with drinks from other bars.  If I were you and the prime is true, I'd just use that and skip the DBP.  If you are REALLY lucky, though it seems more rare than ever, you will see a sale for a beverage card offered for purchase (like you pay a set amount of money for a 10-15 drink punch card).  The only evidence I have heard of this in the last few years was on a recent Majesty of the Seas sailing that was one of the first ones with an itinerary change due to the Cuba ban.

@twangster Your explanation is spot on!  I think that brings a great perspective to all...nothing is ever truly free.  Companies are going to set themselves up to make the largest profit possible and that is evident in the wide variety of practices across a wide variety of cruise lines.  Given where I am at in my life, I appreciate the financial flexibility offered by having a cost overall for the cruise but options to add on activities if I wish to do so.  I am able to afford cruising and can add things on if I wish.  Once I started seeing the explanation for Spectrum of the Seas having a basic cost and many things that are included for Westerners are not for that ship made sense when I saw the Spectrum OTS cruise prices.  

I would imagine it is the same but there are probably differences between the staff making them.  My husband and I enjoyed the pizza on Oasis in Dec 2018...not the best pizza ever but it was pretty good.

The best advice if you want to get off as soon as you possibly can is to talk off with your bags.  And a little tip-if you cannot go down (because you are on a lower deck and everyone is going up to WJ for breakfast/filling up the elevator with their bags/selves) just ride up then ride down to the disembarkation deck.  Get a porter to assist with bags-they often go in a different, shorter line in customs but this could be different from port to port-saw this at Port Canaveral.

This thread calls for @twangster for sure....hope he can provide you some great advice!
Edit: As someone who has been working on her MBA for far longer than I care to let on....if this "school" is in the form of online, try to do as much as possible beforehand and even get ahead if at all possible.  Try to talk with the professor to see what kind of accommodations they can make for her such as a late discussion response (or some other way to make up something in which you have to wait for classmates to respond).  There are a lot of working people who go back to school so adjustments are made, particularly when they have to travel for work.  Just a few thoughts for her...good luck!

I suspect the intern is triple checking everything, potentially at their new job somewhere else.

No love for me. Deluxe bev pkg is still only $52 with BOGO50 / 25% off. 
C’mon Royal!! Where’s that intern with another $18 sale for all 2019 sailings?!?

@twangster Aren't you one that is also able to work from a ship?  If I recall, then I totally understand why you do B2-3B.  I'd love to but unfortunately, I must be present on site when working.  Insert very sad face.  However, I do have a B2B on my bucket list for sometime.  I think I also need to get my husband to be a little more open to cruising.  He likes covering a wide variety of vacation types and not going somewhere or doing something over and over again.

@twangster Aren't you one that is also able to work from a ship?  If I recall, then I totally understand why you do B2-3B.  I'd love to but unfortunately, I must be present on site when working.  Insert very sad face.  However, I do have a B2B on my bucket list for sometime.  I think I also need to get my husband to be a little more open to cruising.  He likes covering a wide variety of vacation types and not going somewhere or doing something over and over again.

A lot of us just feel that your cruise starts as soon as you step on board. You can start your experience ASAP, may it be the pool, the food or the drinks!

Usually people board early to eat lunch.  Many of the FL cruises leave port around 4/430pm so many want to get on ASAP to eat lunch before the crowds and explore the ship.  It's truly personal preference.  Many like to get their luggage to the porters early so it can be processed early and ready for their room sooner.

With a booked B2B on Empress my ports don't repeat.
With a booked B2B on Navigator my ports repeat, a double dip to CocoCay and Nassau. 
With a booked Oasis class B3B I'll do Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean and then Eastern Caribbean again.  This includes three visits to their private destination. I've been to all the ports before so it doesn't matter.  Pricing was good, reduced solo supplement so 21 days on a ship.  Why not?
I also have a side-to-side or S2S booked.  Take a cruise, debark and move to another ship the same day.  
If I'm spending money on an airplane ticket I might as well do two cruises.
The best part of a B2B is seeing this...

...and knowing you don't have to pack.  

@twangster Aren't you one that is also able to work from a ship?  If I recall, then I totally understand why you do B2-3B.  I'd love to but unfortunately, I must be present on site when working.  Insert very sad face.  However, I do have a B2B on my bucket list for sometime.  I think I also need to get my husband to be a little more open to cruising.  He likes covering a wide variety of vacation types and not going somewhere or doing something over and over again.

Sometimes logging in here is as addicting as cruising. Just sayin.?

Drinks will be included up to a certain dollar amount (usually $12) because you have the DBP.  If you decide to drop the DBP, the alcoholic beverages in the specialty dining will be a full charge.  If you ask me, on a 3N cruise, the DBP is usually worth it for myself.  Once it gets longer such as a 7N cruise, it's hard for me to make it worth it financially though many argue that the ease of it and not getting stuck with a bill at the end is worth it to them.  It's different for everyone.

Royal Caribbean introduced a 4th of July discount on the refreshment package. $20 per day. I cancelled my previous order at a higher rate and re-ordered under the new price. It's worth looking into if you have previously purchased. I saved myself $100. 

@lauraodonnell86 I'm going to save all your ABC recommendations as that is a HUGE bucket list item for us too!  Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful experiences.

@pezgirl  My husband and I did the Snuba excursion in December 2018 in St Maarten with RC and loved it.  This time we are thinking about exploring non RC excursions and currently are looking to @lauraodonnell86's suggestion of caribbeanpaddling.com to kayak to Pinel Island from the Sint Martin (french side).  The ABC islands are on our bucket list so enjoy!  Curacao seems neat from the pictures I've seen.  Enjoy and have a great time!  If you search Southern Caribbean or any of those cities/countries in the boards, you will find a lot of great suggestions posted by others.