PatsFanBrian

Make sure you are wearing a Patriots tee.  They will be playing.... ?
 

I hope not, the pictures we took would make the RMV proud.

You can really take it any way you choose as long as you can browse for it when you are doing the online check in.
My wife and I just used our regular camera, inserted the chip into my laptop and then browsed for them from the check in page.  It took about 5 minutes total.
If using your cell phone, you can email it to an address that you can reach from a larger device and then save the pic on your computer.

These are tips I would give to anyone trying to cruise for the  first time..not specific to family or kids etc as I don't have them to travel with.....
 
1)inside rooms aren't that bad at all..and afford you more $ to spend elsewhere or on more cruises.
2)Get to the port early and on the ship....those first cpl hours with the ship almost empty is a great way to familiarize yourself to the ship and enjoy some drinks and food
3)Don't try to fit everything into every day...we usually pick 2 things we really want to do/see/experience in the cruise compass each day and enjoy those things without feeling rush or pressured
4)Be friendly and get to know the bartenders (if you drink)....its great to see a familiar face each day and it can go a long ways towards making your cruise even more enjoyable.
5) Be prepared for mayhem the last morning..between the windjammer and lines to get off and elevators it will be an experience....give yourself lots of time and try not to be in a rush to get anywhere that am as it just makes it more stressful!

Make sure you have all the necessary documents ready when you arrive.  Double and triple check.  Nothing will get you off to a bad start than having to go through an extra long check in because you forgot something.  Do as much online check in as possible. Research your ports as much as possible.  The folks at the excursion desk are very helpful, but the lines to speak with them will get long as the port arrival time gets closer. If you or your kids have any special requirements, call RC ahead of time and ask.  They are very good at having what you need ready to go when you arrive. Be aware that you may not get your luggage until later in the day on embarkation day, so make sure you have what you need for the afternoon in a carry-on. Not sure of the actual ages of your kids, but RC us very good at organized activities for kids of all ages.  Look into what they offer and make sure you don't have to sign up ahead of time to take advantage of them.

If it's free, I'm not being picky.
We are 2 away from Diamond, counting the one coming up in a few weeks.  We may have to book one more while on-board just to get us over the top.

When I went a couple of years ago, we had a 14 hour stop, so we broke the day up into segments.  In the morning, we did a bus tour which went to the Curacao distillery and then to a beach resort.  We were back at the ship by early afternoon.  We then walked into town and explored.  The walk is easy and leisurely.  You walk through an old fort on the way in which has been converted into a hotel, stores and restaurants.  We loved the town.  We started walking down all the side streets and came across a couple of courtyards at the end of some of them with food, bars, a nice cafe feel.  Stopped and had a couple of beers and a snack at one of them.  We really enjoyed the atmosphere of the town.  At night, the pastel colored building are lit up and has a very European feel.
We really enjoyed it and would be happy to go back again

Most terminals have a Diamond line for check in.  It might be grouped with other tiers higher or lower but this varies greatly by port.
Some ships will provide a higher ranked luggage tag for Diamond debarking.  For self assist there typically is no Diamond benefit, join the line like everyone else.
Diamond Happy Hour drinks are from a specific menu.  Your favorite brand of something may not be on the list.  For example a gin and tonic today is Tanqueray and tonic.  If you only drink Sapphire or something else you have to pay for that like you always have. 

Happy hour drinks in the Diamond Lounge are not typically counted against your 3 "coupons".  You are allowed to share the coupons at bars outside of the Diamond Lounge with non-Diamond friends or family.  Bottled water is available during happy hour only.  
 

Make sure your credit card does not have a foreign transaction fee many do.

And be sure that if asked, you pay on the card in the local currency.  We were told that the conversion is better when your credit card does this after the transaction and not the store charging in your own currency.  Jane

The other good thing about paying with a cc, is that you always have a way to dispute a charge. We always make major purchases on a cc and use local currency for tips and small purchases. 

One more item, which you will likely be warned about on the ship.  If you walk into town, you cross the Queen Emma bridge, which is a floating pontoon bridge designed to open up to let ships pass.  If the bridge is open, there's no way to get past it until it closes again (there are ways, but you'd never get over to the other side in time).  We were warned several times to leave plenty of time to get back to the ship, especially as we got closer to departure time, in case the bridge happens to open close to departure time.

I just found this place a couple of weeks ago as well and I've been cruising since '06.  Can't believe I never bothered to look around.  I've learned a few things already.
I look forward to sharing experiences and continuing to learn (there's always something new to learn).

I just found this place a couple of weeks ago as well and I've been cruising since '06.  Can't believe I never bothered to look around.  I've learned a few things already.
I look forward to sharing experiences and continuing to learn (there's always something new to learn).

Just wanted to say hello to everyone!  We are new here....but not to cruising Royal.  We have our 10th Royal cruise coming up in February '20 on a 9 night to the ABC islands.  We are Diamond C&A members!  We hope to be able to help others out from our experiences and get help from others from theirs!  We love talking cruising since it's the best type of vacation there is!!!  We have taken videos and photos of lots of our adventures while cruising and will try to share those as appropriate.  Again hello and hope to get to know some fellow Royal travelers!  Royal is the BEST!  ?    

Sorry for any misinformation, I checked with my wife and she recalls that there was a charge for the shuttle that was added to the overall package.  It's been nearly five years and my recall wasn't very good.  I was mixing it up with another cruise when we flew from Newark to PR and the hotel provided a free airport shuttle. 
We stayed in Elizabeth, I believe it was a Country Inn near a large mall.  We were on a 10 day cruise and parking was included in the package.  Even with the shuttle charge, it was still a good deal.  By getting there a day early, we were able to watch a Pats game at the nearby restaurant,  the next morning get some Christmas shopping done at the local mall and still have plenty of time to get to the ship (about a 20 minute ride).
Our cruise next month will be the first that we don't stay in a hotel the night before (out of Boston, a 1 hr ride for us).  We're just the types who prefer to get where we need to be a day early and leave less to chance, especially when flying.
 

Holy Hijack, Batman

This is why I don't talk to people.

Everyone has their own style of vacation that they enjoy and that's usually where I steer the conversation.
An analogy, I love attending NFL games, full day, tailgating, etc.  I had a friend who loved concerts, Grateful Dead style.  I would take him to a game and he would take me to a concert.  We were both respectively bored.  We finally agreed to do our own thing, remained great friends.

Holy Hijack, Batman

Hijacks are the life blood of a good message board (I've been an admin of a Patriots message board for 17 years).

Everyone has their own style of vacation that they enjoy and that's usually where I steer the conversation.
An analogy, I love attending NFL games, full day, tailgating, etc.  I had a friend who loved concerts, Grateful Dead style.  I would take him to a game and he would take me to a concert.  We were both respectively bored.  We finally agreed to do our own thing, remained great friends.

My wife accompanied her mother on a cruise 14 years ago and enjoyed enough to book a cruise for us the following year.  We haven't lost our love for it.

Speed Racer and Kimba the White Lion were on back to back every afternoon in my part of the world.

Holy Hijack, Batman