Stephanie

tl;dr 
We’re frugal and are reaping the benefits of decades of planning   
My wife is going on five cruises in 2024.  I’m with her on four of them.  In addition, we’ve already booked an 11 night in January 2025 on Odyssey.  We are waiting for the rest of 2025 to be released to book a few more.  

This is how we do it:
We are firmly middle class, mid-50s.  I have 6 weeks pto and my wife technically has unlimited, but I’m reality takes 4-4 1/2 weeks a year. 
 
While not “rich” as typically defined, we have no debt…none, zero, nada. We own our home outright.  Neither of us drink or smoke, and I can’t remember the last time we ate out other than on a cruise.  We do have an off-grid camp and land in northern Maine that we go to as much as possible, but we always seem to end up working when we go there. 
 
We worked our asses off for 30 years to get to the point where we are now.  Our plan was always to raise the kids (now 23, 30, and 32) then enjoy life as much as we can while still funding our retirement (I’m retiring in 6 years when I turn 60). 
 
We typically book interior cabins and usually disembark with a zero balance because we don’t pay for anything extra. ….although we did reserve Chops on our cruise on Explorer next month because my wife is turning 56 that day.  

We’ve changed cruises from Florida to New Jersey because even after eating the change fee, it’s cheaper than flying to Florida.  
 
So that’s how we do it…..well…in addition I’ve been working 70 hours a week since April, and my wife has a second job.  That helps. 
 
 

I average between 5-8 cruises a year. Which would make me a frequent cruiser and I don't live near a port. It is a combination of the casino, being remote for over 75% of schedule and when I can take vacation. I get three weeks in Jan and two in October. So I usually do between 4-6 cruises during that time. I am big on S2S and occasionally a B2B. Plus I take a couple of 4/5N casino comps.
I used to do Vegas around 3 times a year but now I just gamble on the cruises. So even with the gambling I am doing those 6-8 cruises under $10k for the year with flights, hotels and packages included. It will be any combination of interiors, balconies and suites. This year I will only have 5 cruises but my expenses aren't high,so you don't have to be retired or rich to cruise frequently. I am middle class and a couple of years shy of 40, but I budget well and prefer cruises. I use to take a big foreign vacation in October and easily shell out $10k for Italy, Egypt,  etc. But now I get more vacation by cruising.

In my opinion, a whale watching excursion with Harv & Marv's Outback Alaska https://www.harvandmarvs-juneau-whale-watching.com/ in Juneau is an absolute MUST. It was by far the highlight of our trip. We rented a private boat and had Captain Liz. It is a bit pricey, but I promise you, it is worth every penny.  Captain Liz was phenomenal! So passionate & knowledgeable about the whales - she was taking pictures right along side of us, even though she does these yearround - she literally follows the whales to Hawaii & does Hawaiian whale watching tours in the winter months. The private tour was so much nicer than one booked thru the cruise b/c our group of 6 were the only ones on the boat, which meant we weren't fighting with strangers to get a better view. (We actually saw another tour on the water that had probably 50 people on the boat and that's exactly what they were doing - no thanks!)
The highlights from our tour popped up on my Facebook feed just yesterday & I sat and watched & re-watched the videos.

In my opinion, a whale watching excursion with Harv & Marv's Outback Alaska https://www.harvandmarvs-juneau-whale-watching.com/ in Juneau is an absolute MUST. It was by far the highlight of our trip. We rented a private boat and had Captain Liz. It is a bit pricey, but I promise you, it is worth every penny.  Captain Liz was phenomenal! So passionate & knowledgeable about the whales - she was taking pictures right along side of us, even though she does these yearround - she literally follows the whales to Hawaii & does Hawaiian whale watching tours in the winter months. The private tour was so much nicer than one booked thru the cruise b/c our group of 6 were the only ones on the boat, which meant we weren't fighting with strangers to get a better view. (We actually saw another tour on the water that had probably 50 people on the boat and that's exactly what they were doing - no thanks!)
The highlights from our tour popped up on my Facebook feed just yesterday & I sat and watched & re-watched the videos.

Just wanted to say this is AMAZING!!! Thank you for putting this together.

I had never understood this until our last cruise.  The weather in Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta was swelteringly hot & humid, so we decided to stay onboard. We were on Navigator - a smaller ship, so definitely not a lot of activities. But, we played putt-putt all alone, and I got a spa treatment (less expensive on port days). The only downside, aside from the casino not being open, was that the only bars that were open before 3:00 pm were the pool bars. 😂  But, otherwise it was fantastic - the ship was practically empty. We absolutely loved it! Now, I want to do more cruises for the sake of cruising vs the destination. However, I will pick an Oasis or Quantum class ship if I'm not planning to get off the ship.
 

I have kind of a funny story about this. I lived in China for two years and still go back regularly for work, but I am a black guy who is a dual US/Namibian citizen and speaks English with a midwest American accent. My spoken Mandarin is good, but not great. Anyways, I was in Hangzhou, ended up at a karaoke bar, and overheard people (who didn't know I understood them) questioning why I was there since most everything was in Mandarin. 
So of course I went up on stage, belted out a pretty damn good Mandarin cover of "Friday" by Rebecca Black (because it was Friday, and I was drunk), looked a them, and dropped the mic. We spent the rest of the night together bar hopping. 

We cruised on Spectrum out of Shanghai on a 5-night in July 2019 (to Okinawa and Nagasaki). The ship is beautiful and the cruise was really enjoyable -- I think you made a great choice! (And we're looking forward to being back on Spectrum for a 9-night out of Singapore this Jan to Vietnam and Thailand -- same cruise @twangster?)
There were some activities strictly in Mandarin -- we didn't think we'd have much luck in the "finish the song lyric" game with songs in Mandarin, for example, haha. But many actitivies, either by design or chance, seemed to minimise the language component. Explanations were typically provided in both languages, and the emcees did a fantastic job. And yes, we sometimes got a chuckle when a very quick English explanation followed a lengthy Mandarin exposition, but that was completely expected and we never felt like we didn't understand something.
Other random pieces of info:
I don't know if you've sorted the visa situation, but you may want to look at visa exemptions -- some info here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14730-china-transit-visa-quantum/#comment-164600 Here's a blurb that may be useful if you're staying in a suite or have diamond C&A (Re-reading this reminds me how crazy of a deal the onboard 12-drink package for US$69 was): https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/16950-spectrum-silver-lounge/#comment-173917 Take the maglev train from the airport -- a short and fun ride at ~430km/h! We arrived the day before the cruise and had arranged a "toursbylocal" tour (I have no affiliation but have had good experiences several times). Yes, we can get around to the major sites ourselves, but we enjoy having a local help us navigate when we're trying to squeeze a lot in, esp when it comes to touring street food locations, etc. The flat tour fee worked well for our group of 4. We also spent a couple of days at Shanghai Disney after the cruise -- I know, I know, Shanghai is a fabulous city with amazing history and culture and we end up at Disney... But we're Disney geeks and wanted to check Shanghai off the list -- don't judge us, haha. (Fwiw, Shanghai Pirates of the Caribbean is one the greatest Disney attraction every made, if that's of any interest). Hope this helps!

I'm doing Spectrum in January from Singapore and I know of another RCB user that is doing a B2B before I get there.
While Spectrum is in Singapore in January if there are any ship specific questions feel to ask.  Spectrum does differ from her sisters in the same class. No Pub, no Sorrento's, lounges for suites are nothing like her sisters for example.
As far as the ship goes there are a number of ship tours on YouTube.  The Singaporean guests that have been sailing over the past year seem to post more compared to the guests from her time in China prior to her move to Singapore.
 

Thanks so much! Just read through your blog and it was very enlightening and helpful. My husband's main concern was the food, so seeing the menus and pictures of the food selections helped ease those fears tremendously. The ship looks amazing, too.  Can't wait!

Don't fear the "culturally enriching"! English will still be a primary language onboard. We loved all our cruising in Asia, particularly the diversity. 
Shanghai - while I've never sailed out of the port, I've visited many times. Speaking exactly zero Chinese of any kind I still found it easy to get around the touristy bits. It's also comparatively inexpensive to hire a private guide/driver for a day or two before or after the cruise if you want to see some of the city.
(The second link above is me 🙂 )

Take a look at this live blog.
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/15611-best-of-japan-cruise-spectrum-of-the-seas-october-1-8-2019-a-new-experience/#comment-157318
And also this one, albeit from Hong Kong.  However the ship at the time hadn't been to Singapore yet as a home port.
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/17193-spectrum-of-the-seas-22dec19-hong-kong-b2b/#comment-176974
 

After much debate & research, we have booked a 7-night sailing on Spectrum out of Shanghai next September.  I'm curious to hear first-hand experience from anyone who has sailed out of Shanghai.  It's a "culturally enriching" cruise, so I know that means announcements & such will be in both Mandarin and English.  I also know the menus are more geared toward the Asian market. I'm more curious as to the daytime activities and the shows - English? Mandarin? Both?
I'd also love to get insight on airlines, hotels, transportation, etc. Any and all advice / experience / opinions are welcome. Thanks!

You can try these websites.
https://www.mazatlantours.org/
https://www.puertovallartatours.net/
https://www.cabosanlucastours.net/
They are all run by the same company. We used them in Mazatlán without any problems.

The Milky Way from the Sea of Cortez after departing Mazatlan on the way to Puerto Vallarta on board Navigator of the Seas.

We did a cruise out of Bayonne for Christmas. It's a little strange having to pack for winter & summer ...  Like the others said, the 1st day / day & a half are cold and you don't want to be outside, but then it warms up. We were in the Bahamas on Christmas Day in shorts & a t-shirt.  Made me wish I could always have a tropical Christmas.
I haven't done a NYE cruise, but I will say Royal knows how to celebrate the holidays. The Christmas cruise was tons of fun, so I can only imagine how fun a NYE sailing would be.

And with that, be sure to acknowledge the concierge email even if you have no requests, and say something like "look forward to meeting you on the first night"

Always good to break the ice with the concierge before you board.

I have used this service. It was back in the day when you couldn’t get off the ship unless you were vaccinated and kids couldn’t vaccinated. So then kids couldn’t get off the ship unless it was with a royal excursion. What I did was found the exact excursion I wanted through a third party, then emailed the private shore excursions desk and told them exactly what I wanted to do. They quoted it for me and confirmed all the details. The day was perfect and it was JUST US! Worth every penny. Honestly I can’t remember the price tag but I remember thinking the price wasn’t bad, and was totally worth my kids being able to get off the ship and not be with hundreds of people on a stuffy chartered bus.
 

We did a cruise out of Bayonne for Christmas. It's a little strange having to pack for winter & summer ...  Like the others said, the 1st day / day & a half are cold and you don't want to be outside, but then it warms up. We were in the Bahamas on Christmas Day in shorts & a t-shirt.  Made me wish I could always have a tropical Christmas.
I haven't done a NYE cruise, but I will say Royal knows how to celebrate the holidays. The Christmas cruise was tons of fun, so I can only imagine how fun a NYE sailing would be.

We used Uber in Seattle & had no issue.  Chihuly's is worth it if that's your sort of thing. Otherwise, I would pass. Ivar's on Pier 54 is delicious!  https://www.ivars.com/acres

I'd rather have priority on disembarking. Another thread on here said people were lining up at 10:00 am for 12:30 disembarkation in Cabo san Lucas. The ship is only in port from 12:30 - 8:00, so waiting in line for 2 hours to get off the ship does not sound pleasant.  Although, I know it seems the lines are generally the longest first thing and then closer to sail away times.

I'd rather have priority on disembarking. Another thread on here said people were lining up at 10:00 am for 12:30 disembarkation in Cabo san Lucas. The ship is only in port from 12:30 - 8:00, so waiting in line for 2 hours to get off the ship does not sound pleasant.  Although, I know it seems the lines are generally the longest first thing and then closer to sail away times.

Oh awesome! We do have a tender port, and I had read the wait times could be up to 2 hours.

Congratulations on your anniversary and moving up to a suite !!  You will be spoiled !
You are correct.  No complimentary Voom on NAV.
You will have:
priority boarding and disembarkation complimentary room service from the MDR menu (during MDR hours) or from the regular room service menu (any time) 24 hour access to the Suites/Concierge Lounge (I imagine NAV has a Suites Lounge now but not sure) breakfast in one of the specialty restaurants (usually Chops but could be somewhere else) access to the Suites Concierge for most issues that would normally require you to visit Guest Services special reserved seating area for main theater and ice shows ability to make dining reservations prior to boarding (through the Suites Concierge).  This includes specialty dining. priority boarding for tenders if you have any tender ports There are probably others that I am forgetting.  Enjoy your suite !  It is such a nice treat.
 

Correct