RobinL

I like it!  Nice job and thank you so much!
 

I need help with this too!  We will be in Labadee next summer (6 of us).  So what is the difference in the ones offered and the locations?   
Beach Cabana at nellies beach?  Also one offered Beach Front for nellies beach?   Either better?
OR
Beach Bungalow at columbus cove?
We've never been to Labadee so we have no reference to where these are located.
Would love anyones insight.
Thank you!

An empty pocketbook.  

ok, i feel your pain. A balcony is wonderful to have but the rooms are not very big.  A pack and play out will be hard to walk around to get to the bathroom. That being said.. if you want to save the money and I agree 1,000 bucks is worth it... totally go for it. Go on line and look the room lay outs. 

We also enjoyed Solarium (more so than main dining).  They bring you the main dish fresh to order and the other items are buffet style but lots to choose from and very yummy!  We made reservations right on the app during the cruise as late as the morning of and it wasn't a problem but best to do early in the week for best seating time for you.  As far as kids go,  my youngest was 15 and it never was a problem,  but not sure about little ones.  

Lovestotravel - Im not sure where you start kayaking from to get to Pinel and perhaps you just love to kayak itself,  but we enjoyed the fast boat ride to hit other stops along the way to snorkel and the great views...and still had plenty of time on Pinel to enjoy.    There may be other options but again.. Capt. Bob's is an easy pick!     Have a great time!
 
@JLMoran we did meet his son but he was organizing everyone to different boats and not the one who took us out on the water.  Our captain Yuri was an experienced captain both in boating and island history, and his helper (a girl) was super friendly and assisted in every way.   
Also back to  @Lovestotravel  We were provided with everything we needed  for snorkeling though we brought some of our own gear.  The crew also provided  beer, soda/water and sandwiches, though again there is a restaurant on Pinel. 

Lovestotravel - Im not sure where you start kayaking from to get to Pinel and perhaps you just love to kayak itself,  but we enjoyed the fast boat ride to hit other stops along the way to snorkel and the great views...and still had plenty of time on Pinel to enjoy.    There may be other options but again.. Capt. Bob's is an easy pick!     Have a great time!
 
@JLMoran we did meet his son but he was organizing everyone to different boats and not the one who took us out on the water.  Our captain Yuri was an experienced captain both in boating and island history, and his helper (a girl) was super friendly and assisted in every way.   
Also back to  @Lovestotravel  We were provided with everything we needed  for snorkeling though we brought some of our own gear.  The crew also provided  beer, soda/water and sandwiches, though again there is a restaurant on Pinel. 

Just giving my review and HUGE THANKS for the suggestion to book with Capt. Bob from https://www.soualigadestinations.com/most-popular-tour-for-cruise-ship-visitors/
For St. Maarten.. O M G we had a fantastic time!   Thank you JLMoran for referring this company to us as this suggestion did not disappoint!   From the moment I reached out to Capt Bob  I received an immediate response and answers to all my questions.   I was a little nervous booking because it wasn't with the ship but on the day we went we found many others from the ship also booked the same excursion that day as well, in fact there were at least 40 - 50 from our ship, however they had several boats that we were each assigned to.   The captain of our boat and his assistant took 17 of us out on a fast speed boat to 4 different spots for swimming/snorkeling and beach visiting and hands down Pinel Island was AMAZING!!!  Pinel is a gorgeous place and home to many iguanas who will take food right from your hands (it's pretty incredible to see). Like JLMoran mentioned Pinel as a little hut that sells reasonably priced items that are I believe made on the island and there is  also a restaurant here which i heard from one of our fellow passengers was delicious  Anyway, the whole experience this day was the best thing we did all week and we would absolutely come back and do it again.  I highly recommend this company and even on trip advisor you will see they have over 200 reviews and  are 5 star rated!!!  

So I just got done reading @Whizbank live blog and she stated that she would pack lighter next time.  I'm now sitting and looking at the suitcase I'm going to have trouble closing today.  Ugh!  So thought I'd share some things I'm going to do for the European cruise this summer (16 days in Barcelona and on the ship) as an accountability post lol.  Please chime in with suggestions and encouragement lol.  I know like the drink pkg we have beaten this to death, but hey, it's fun! 
1.  Royal has amazing storage in their rooms, both interior and outside.I have sailed 5 classes now and fit everything every time.  Majesty had a dinky closet but a great big side table and window ledge.  Others have hidden shelves, ottomans, other closets.   Obviously the longer cruises are a bit more challenging which leads to....
2.  Rewear!  I have favorites that I take on every cruise that I could totally wear over.  Some things I will wash when I get home that I only wore once (or not at all) and they aren't even really dirty.  I get if it's super hot you might have to selectively rewear, but I don't pack that way.  7 days, pack for 9 lol.  Ugh!   Do I need 2 formal dresses? Heck no. Is it ok if people are me in the same outfit twice... Absolutely.    Do I need extra clothes not at all... That's where #3 comes in...
3. Laundry!  I will freely admit I haven't used it in the ship and I won't risk any favorite clothes (I worry about too hot dryers).  But I spend everywhere else...Porters, drink pkg, extra 2 dollars for my favorite ? etc....   A bag of laundry will not kill me to pay for!   And my bathing suits, etc, are wet when I came back...I can hand wash them in the shower.  Now again, with how long everything takes to dry I am not bringing detergent and hanging everything... But a small stain is solvable by a  quick rinse.
4.  Packing cubes....   That was a long thread earlier.  I personally love them but didn't use them correctly.  I was in 3 different places pre-cruise, cruise and post-cruise.  I should have packed the cubes that way rather than every time I wanted an outfit having to go through different ones.  I could have put my pre-cruise two outfits in a bag with a bathing suit and pair of jammies and never opened the rest!
5. Shoes....  Sigh.  I did do better this time.  I wore my tennis shoes on the plane and once again, it wasn't necessary for me personally to have them.  I will just wear my walking sandals on the plane too.  I took my lighter weight sandals this time and didn't fuss with the 3 inch heals I would wear once or twice. I actually packed 2 pairs of flip flops in case one pair broke....omg WHY?  Which leads to...
6.  This next cruise no matter what I'm going with the Rick Steve's packing rule which I never do but am going to start!  I love his travel blogs and YouTube videos and he says "always pack for the expected, not the unexpected".  Ok...I'm a pack for the unexpected....my shoe might break, my phone cord might break, I might spill coffee on my 4 sweaters... All 4!  All the unexpected back-ups come home unused and talking up space.  I'm not traveling to the middle of Africa where I might have trouble getting something!!!! (If you are, you are probably better at packing than I am anyway and not reading this!).  Next time I will truly try and follow this.  Heck I will pack a $100 extra dollars just for things I might need to get and when I don't, take myself out to a nice Cafe somewhere!  
7.  Go with your history and your gut.  Every trip I pack shorts "just in case I feel like wearing them" and workout clothes "just in case I want to work out".  Ok...I've now been on 6 cruises.  Not once have I put on shorts or tshirts (Im a sundress girl) and the only time I've set for in the fitness center is to take pics on day one.  If I haven't used something at home (do I really want that dress) or on a ship, it is just not gonna get used here!  
8.  Compare with the other lovely people in your family.  In March my family brilliantly brought 3 tubes of toothpaste.  Seriously.  We all packed our regular travel kits and we all have toothpaste.  Oh well.  Next time I'm going back to the family ziplocks...1 toothpaste and common shampoo, soap, etc.  And I'm getting slightly better at judging amount we use.  For example, I love using the bath & body works squirt soap better than the bars.  They smell nice and I just like them.  We don't need a whole bottle...I can bring a half-used one and then I have 2 more oz and space at the end of the trip!  Same goes for shampoo, lotion, etc!  
9.  Suitcase stuffing.  I'm a stuffer.  If the suitcase is at 40 lbs and not full, I can stuff just one more extra dress or pair of shoes just in case.  Nope.  The problem is that it takes me forever to fit everything in at home.  I don't have that time on the trip and what happens is I frantically stuff everything in and one day I'm gonna break the zipper.  I have had to buy and check an extra suitcase at Disney before (ok...I could get into souvenir shopping here.  I didn't buy the rum in Nassau because I knew I wouldn't have the space or weight lol).  So next time, things will fit better at the start.  I will do what you are supposed to... Pack and then unpack and take out a bunch you don't need!  Because I don't need the stress at the end of the trip!
So I've now spent time I should have been packing avoiding it but when I get home, this is what's I'm going to re-read before I pack!!!!!! Jane

To paraphrase Capt. Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean, "it's more of a guideline, than a rule."

cool - thanks for posting!

Hi Robin,
1) You can bring water on board. The only thing is that non-alcoholic beverages brought onboard may not exceed 12 standard (17 oz) cans, bottles or cartons per stateroom. Distilled water or specialized beverages such as, milk for medical purposes, dietary or infant use, are permitted. You are also allow to bring 2 750ml bottles of wine per stateroom.
2) I have never been to St. John’s so I’m not sure but if you get the Shipmate app you can get your questions answer. They have a feature for each port to ask questions to other travelers that have been to that particular port. It’s a great app!