YOLO

Caige thought ALL balls (particularly tennis balls) belonged exclusively to her.  The attendant at the kennel where we used to board her when we had to leave her used to laugh b/c by the end of her stay, every ball on the premise would always end up in her kennel.  She was a shameless ball thief.

@WAAAYTOOO  It sounds like Caige was your dog of a lifetime.  What a great name too.  How awesome and what a great remembrance.
We had a golden named Romeo which happened to be my grandfather's name.  My mom thought that was so funny.  Romeo actually taught Kuka (an Alaskan Malamute!!!) how to catch, fetch, and retrieve a tennis ball when she was young.  Kuka didn't have the persistence that Romeo had for retrieving, but she would give him a good run.

1: Yes! this has been clarified by Royal recently. My only caveat is that we haven't done it yet- we're also sailing very soon and will have assorted sodas, waters, and wine within their limits with us.

2: Has to be in a carry-on, sort of. From what I've seen here, if it's in the checked bag, it'll get held by security. They don't search your stuff quite like TSA does, they'll make you come down and open your bag and show that it's permissible stuff. 

3: Not sure on this one, but probably? Might be a heavy bag, but I think it should be ok.

The blog post with confirmation: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/08/28/royal-caribbean-now-allowing-guests-bring-non-alcoholic-beverages-onboard

@WAAAYTOOO  It sounds like Caige was your dog of a lifetime.  What a great name too.  How awesome and what a great remembrance.
We had a golden named Romeo which happened to be my grandfather's name.  My mom thought that was so funny.  Romeo actually taught Kuka (an Alaskan Malamute!!!) how to catch, fetch, and retrieve a tennis ball when she was young.  Kuka didn't have the persistence that Romeo had for retrieving, but she would give him a good run.

Kuka was gorgeous!   She looked like such a sweet dog! I would have hugged her all the time!   I love the animal pics you guys are posting; I love cats and dogs ( all animals really)! 
As far as them being on a cruise ship, as much as I love seeing them and petting them, it's not sanitary for them to be around food.  It's fine for true service dogs, but it seems like people are abusing the rules as of late when it comes to airlines ( and I guess ships now!)  I think with the recent attacks that have happened on planes.....companies will start cracking down and putting more rules into place before you are allowed to bring animals in.  I also think for a lot of ports you wouldn't be able to bring them due to their rabies/quarantine rules.
I have only seen a band have their 'service dog' (not a true service dog) on a cruise ship.  She also had "accidents" crew had to clean up.  She was great to see and pet, but a lot of times she seemed overwhelmed by the people and activities going on. Pretty sad really......

My golden retriever (goldie) was Caige (named after one of my parents’ race horses, Cajun Sunset....they called the horse Caige for short and my daughter loved that horse !).
She was God’s most gentle and loving creature. I miss her so much. 
I don't blame you for falling in love with that photo.  What a sweetie !

Same. I used to be kids over animals but except for the kids in my family, nope.
Luna. I was a cat person until I got her. Still love cats but now I love all animals...something about a dog that opens you up. It's been 3 years and the people around me are still shocked on how I've changed (+) since her.
You can see how well you took care of your dog by her coat. That's love.

We recently took our first Royal Caribbean cruise, a transatlantic out of Galveston and were dumbfounded by the dogs on board.  One was obviously a service dog and belonged there but the other three or four yappy little dogs weren't service dogs.  Horrified that one "gentleman" held on to the little yappy thing as he went through the buffet for breakfast.  Disgusting!   We made sure that we had a very early breakfast after that.  Know you all will say it was an emotional support dog but I think it was a case of "we can't leave poor yappy home".  Haven't seen this on Princess (yet) and probably will never see it on Seabourn.  This was probably our first and last cruise with RC.  Is this standard operating procedure for this line?

They have pee pad/areas in airports in the US for dogs....blew my mind the last time we travelled seeing them at various airports...none in Canada that I know of or have ever seen.
 
As for dogs on the cruise.....if only ppl would have common sense. You don't eat with a dog on your lap or take a dog out in public if they aren't trained and will pee everywhere.
 
Common sense has gone out the window for most ppl and not just when it comes to dogs..lol
 
That being said..I prefer dogs much more to kids......but I wont go there..lol

@YOLO you're killing me. Just keep posting dog pictures all day please. I have a 3 year old shih tzu who is the loviest love. I could look at dog pictures all day.
 
I can't help but post this.

Yes, Captain's Bounty is awesome.  When inside Kuka ran right to the deck were there is a wall overlooking the beach.  She jumped up and her face lit up with a big smile!  This pic sort of captures that.  I am a Sox fan and my dad was a Yankees fan.  In fact my nickname is Mickey - and that did not come from a Red Sox player's name.  I am sure you can guess from whom it was derived.  I know what you mean about Fenway.  It is just sooo historic.  As they say, they don't make 'em like that anymore...

Funny you should say that.  We fell in love with the very fist picture (below) we saw of her.  She seemed shy and sweet.  Exactly the personality she had throughout her entire life.  What breed of dog was Goldie?  It's great you remember her (?) after that much time.

Yes, Captain's Bounty is awesome.  When inside Kuka ran right to the deck were there is a wall overlooking the beach.  She jumped up and her face lit up with a big smile!  This pic sort of captures that.  I am a Sox fan and my dad was a Yankees fan.  In fact my nickname is Mickey - and that did not come from a Red Sox player's name.  I am sure you can guess from whom it was derived.  I know what you mean about Fenway.  It is just sooo historic.  As they say, they don't make 'em like that anymore...

And Captains Bounty is stated as pet friendly, so no issue there. I agree with @ellcee and everyone else--your dog is magnificent! Also love your area. Have family in MA. When he was young I used to take them to Fenway (my favorite park when I used to care about baseball) to see the Red Sox. I was never a Yankee fan, but driving to Fenway with, at that time, NY plates on the car was never fun! Couldn't convince people that I was on their side. Had to get a Sox cap to wear in the car,

Skid, let me...  EEEeeeeeewww!
I been on quite a few cruises and haven't really seen some of the problems written about here.  I love dogs (and cats).  I have two Malamutes and a Siberian.  I would NEVER want to bring them on a cruise.  What are people thinking?  I guess that is the problem - they aren't.  In the case of non-service dogs, it seems like a rather selfish act to me at the expense of the poor pup.  Sorry, but there should be absolutely NO reason for any animal (other than a trained service animal) to be in ANY dining room.  Also, if the dog isn't working as a guide or in another physical support capacity then the dog should not even be on the ship!
With that said, I have taken Kuka (my profile pic) to Captain's Bounty in Rockport MA - right on the beach.  It was a memorable vacation for us and her.

Gorgeous dog, I love the Malamutes and Siberians (we used to have a Siberian when we lived in Canada) 
I have another question though. The legal requirements by the landing countries. What happens when there is some restriction, for example here in Cayman Islands we have VERY strict laws especially for rabies as we are a rabies free zone. How would some countries handle this if they knew about it?

That dog is gorgeous!

She has such an expressive face. She looks so sweet.  I lost my Goldie almost 10 years ago and I still miss her every day.

@ellcee  Thanks!  She truly was a once in a lifetime dog for us.  Unfortunately, we lost her a couple of years ago.
Here's Kuka on the morning of Jan 21, 2016 - her eighth birthday.  Such a sweet girl.  We still miss her.

Muster drill will most likely be after 4pm if there is a 3pm check in, I think they have to wait an hour from that time but others can confirm. Going to Port Canaveral can have delays so I would give yourselves plenty of time if your not staying close by.

@doubleJ its not always bad but it can be. I've heard horror stories when there's an accident that makes many cut it close or miss it. So I always try to go early and just get lunch on board. Better safe then sorry.

Yes, get on board as soon as you realistically can.  We usually get lunch, check on our room, and then tour the ship before the Muster drill.

I've never drunk rum in any real measure, beyond Captain Morgan's (?) back in college. But after two cruises and trying out mojitos and a dark and stormy and discovering that they're really tasty when made with good rum, I'd like to be able to make them while in dry dock. Problem is that I don't know good rum from bad; that's why I'm going to the folks who do! ?

How nerdy can I get? ?
I'm a traditionalist, so it's Goslings for me (the standard bottle, not the 151). Goslings only has 11 grams/liter of added sugar, whereas Kracken has 43 gpl, if that is a concern for you.  Goslings is also the more traditional 40 proof vs 47 for Kracken.
"Groupthink" rates them about equally  https://www.rumratings.com/brands/482-kraken-black-spiced  https://www.rumratings.com/brands/420-gosling-s-black-seal
Kracken uses a younger rum base as well, IIRC (hence the added sugar and caramel colorings), so personally I'd be sticking with Goslings.
But all that said, keep in mind these are SPICED rums, not regular rums, so you might want to make room in your cabinet for a traditional rum like Appleton or Mt. Gay (both easily accessible) for recipes that require a non-spiced rum.

Yeah, "proper" is likely the wrong word. Strictly speaking, a Dark & Stormy should only be made with Goslings Black Seal and some kind of ginger beer, and I think it's even trademarked. Kraken Rum Co actually calls their version "Perfect Storm" rather than Dark and Stormy; I was just trying to simplify as I figured the two rums were more similar than different.