Marc

There is a slight advantage to purchasing the soda package in advance. Instead of getting a sticker on your card, you'll have the Coca-Cola logo printed in the corner of the card. This is beneficial in that it won't accidentally get washed off if you get the SeaPass wet (like swimming with it in your pocket). Also, if you need to get a replacement SeaPass, the Coca-Cola logo will be printed on it again automatically, so you won't need to get a replacement sticker to show that you've got the package.

There is a slight advantage to purchasing the soda package in advance. Instead of getting a sticker on your card, you'll have the Coca-Cola logo printed in the corner of the card. This is beneficial in that it won't accidentally get washed off if you get the SeaPass wet (like swimming with it in your pocket). Also, if you need to get a replacement SeaPass, the Coca-Cola logo will be printed on it again automatically, so you won't need to get a replacement sticker to show that you've got the package.

With the single exception of the one time one of our bags was held in the "naughty room" because it had a bottle of wine in it that needed to be verified that it was, indeed, wine, our bags have been delivered to the cabin by 4:30 PM.
 
Now, that said, the official promise for delivery is 8 PM. 
 
The main dining room doesn't enforce their dress suggestion on the first night because they do expect that some people may not have received their luggage in time. Of course, it is just a "dress suggestion", so it's not enforced on other nights either. :)

Yes, as long as you own at least 100 shares you can, but... followed by a whole long list of exceptions. The details are listed on this page.
 
The shareholder onboard credit benefit is not combinable with pretty much anything else Royal Caribbean might give you including NextCruise (onboard booking) onboard credit or Crown & Anchor balcony or general savings discounts.
 
The benefit gives you:
 
 
If you find that the onboard credit benefit is more than what you're getting from Royal Caribbean elsewhere, it should be possible to decline the booking benefit and take the shareholder onboard credit instead.

Yeah, they are pretty closed-mouth about all of it. I have a couple of the casino host/hostesses that are good friends and with whom I communicate outside of the cruise line and they tell me they really don't know anything either, so bugging them isn't going to get you much...at least, that has been my experience so far. I think they are kinda making it up as they go. One thing is for sure...you are going to have to requalify periodically - so gone are the days when you can automatically qualify for the free drinks in the casino, rebates, casino discounts on staterooms and waiver of the 5% convenience charge (even though I have been told that the waiver of the convenience charge will remain regardless of tier level....won't hold my breath on that one). I think this totally stinks.
 
I agree that they are probably modeling their program after the NCL program. To be honest, I have found the NCL program to be far more responsive in a number of ways than the RCCL program. For instance, after being a member of the NCL program for only 1 cruise, I was given a "free" cruise. Now, as we all know, a "free" cruise is far from free...there are plenty of hidden costs that are tacked on...nevertheless, I was given a free cruise on NCL and RCCL has NEVER offered me a free cruise of ANY kind. As for the downside of the NCL program, they never waive the 5% convenience fee except for the very HIGHEST tier levels (which I will NEVER be on any cruise line !) and their "free" drinks in the casino are very hit and miss. So I guess there are upsides and downsides to both programs.
 
Knowing how RCCL operates though, I anticipate that the new program will be harder to qualify for than the old one, have less generous benefits and just, overall, to be less beneficial than the old system. That's just the way things are going with RCCL. Charge more...get less.

From what's been said above, it seems that Royal Caribbean does all onboard charging in US dollars. Your onboard account will be shown in US dollars.
 
When you fill out your SetSail Pass (as part of your online checkin), there is a checkbox whether Royal Caribbean will convert your onboard account's balance to your domestic currency or charge you in US dollars and let your bank handle the conversion.

You may want to browse the Cruise Compasses that Matt has on this site to get a rough idea of what kinds of things are included and what's extra charge. The extra charge items will be listed with ($) in the description.
 
Specifically relevant to Anthem of the Seas, North Star, Ripcord by iFly, and bumper cars should all be available for free to some degree, however you may be able to pay for extra time or private sessions.

As I discovered on my last cruise, Giovanni's Table doesn't accept reservations for lunch. My group of 20+ people descended on Giovanni's Table immediately after boarding to get in line early so we could sit together. They put together a couple large tables for us.

You may want to browse the Cruise Compasses that Matt has on this site to get a rough idea of what kinds of things are included and what's extra charge. The extra charge items will be listed with ($) in the description.
 
Specifically relevant to Anthem of the Seas, North Star, Ripcord by iFly, and bumper cars should all be available for free to some degree, however you may be able to pay for extra time or private sessions.

It looks as though it's Jerome Sueur.

My second Royal Caribbean cruise as well, on Liberty of the Seas. I fell in love with the Royal Promenade and the general layout of and the various venues on the ship.
 
My first Royal Caribbean cruise was on the Viking Serenade. That did not leave me with a positive impression at all.

We like to fly out late from FLL so that we can enjoy our disembarkation day. We rent a car and do things in the area.
 
After our upcoming cruise on Independence (in just 12 days!!!), we're going over to Sawgrass Mills and hanging out there for a few hours. There's a surprising lot to do there. It's a bit strange, but I'm looking forward to trying the conveyor belt sushi (Sushigami) that's there in the mall.
 
Our flight isn't until 9:10 PM, so we've got plenty of time to find things to do without needing to rush.
 
For your second question, I don't know what you mean by "beat breakfast restaurants". Are you talking on disembarkation morning? If so, they have breakfast in the main dining room during some early hours. It's not bad in there, and it's nice getting one last meal onboard that's served to you. Windjammer is horribly crowded that morning, especially a bit later in the morning.
 
I'm generally not much of a breakfast person, so on most mornings, I just get a couple pastries from Café Promenade or the Diamond or Concierge Lounge with some apple juice and that's enough for me.
 
In the past, I've tended to go to the specialty restaurants on formal nights since we don't dress up. This time, though, we're going to Giovanni's Table on the first night because they're giving us 20% back in onboard credit if we dine in a specialty restaurant on Day 1. That works well for me since I don't care for the Day 1 menu in the main dining room ("Mojo").
 
As far as recommendations, I'd suggest that you take a look at the main dining room menus and see which one you might want to skip. You'll need to check with the dining room staff to see which night that particular menu is served.

It depends on how much you get. In my experience, the ATM charges $6. The charge to get money from your onboard account is 5%. That puts the breakeven point at $120. More than that, the ATM is cheaper.

The charges are in US dollars. That particular section is relevant to people using non-US banks who would need the charges converted to their local currency.

I think Mark will be better off with no exchange rate whatsoever since he lives in Connecticut and probably has a US-based card. :D
 
I had thought that Royal Caribbean generally operates in dollars even on sailings in Europe. The bar menus I've seen for Southampton sailings are in USD, and I know the casinos are USD.
 
I suspect, however, that China's sailings are probably in Chinese yuan given the extensive localizing they do for that market. I don't know about Australian sailings.

The charges are in US dollars. That particular section is relevant to people using non-US banks who would need the charges converted to their local currency.

I don't know about Radiance, but other RCI ships that I've been on have also had a European-style outlet as well.
 
Here's a shot of the three outlets that are below the vanity/desk on Oasis of the Seas:
 

 
The third one is marked 230 volts and appears to be the regular, round 2-prong outlet that's also compatible with the Europlug.

I think Mark will be better off with no exchange rate whatsoever since he lives in Connecticut and probably has a US-based card. :D
 
I had thought that Royal Caribbean generally operates in dollars even on sailings in Europe. The bar menus I've seen for Southampton sailings are in USD, and I know the casinos are USD.
 
I suspect, however, that China's sailings are probably in Chinese yuan given the extensive localizing they do for that market. I don't know about Australian sailings.

The charges are in US dollars. That particular section is relevant to people using non-US banks who would need the charges converted to their local currency.

Although you'll likely dock in the very early morning hours (5:30-6:00 AM), it may be an hour or so before they start disembarking passengers.
 
Self-disembarkation ("Express Departure"), where you carry off your own luggage, may start as early as 6:30 AM.
 
Regular disembarkation (luggage tag 1) starts around 7:45 AM (judging by my "As You Depart" informational sheet from Allure of the Seas).
 
Then you'll need to factor in getting through the terminal and going through customs, a process which can be somewhat variable.

Just like on the Royalty Valhalla ship on an episode of The Simpsons. :)

Just like on the Royalty Valhalla ship on an episode of The Simpsons. :)

Just like on the Royalty Valhalla ship on an episode of The Simpsons. :)

Which ship was that?
 
I ask because Celebrity Century is Celebrity's oldest ship right now and that was our first cruise back in 1998. Although the ship can't compare to today's marvels, she's still special for being our first, and I give a lot of credit for our current love of cruising to the experience we had onboard her.

You're not alone. I primarily cruise for the ship, too. I've been to most of the Caribbean ports enough that they generally don't have a strong draw for me. (Labadee is a notable exception; I love going there.)
 
I really enjoy just being in this moving resort as it takes me from one destination to another.