Bob_KY

I personally never understand why people try to tell others not to sail/patronize something because of their unique bad experiences. Just say it's not for you. I stop lending credibility to post and people who do that.
I have Quantum to Alaska in September. If the ports get changed, I will make do, to me that's the cost of doing business when you sail.
Also even when I booked, in Oct of 2023, I was told Northstar was not operating. 
It has been widely discussed that room cleaning is only once a day......but it sucks if that sock was left there.
All the other stuff seems like a you issue.

This is one of those things that isn't a problem until it is.  
What is legal in the US or your home country is irrelevant once you leave the country.  
Cruises by definition leave the departure country and visit other countries.  Each country has the right to establish what is legal and what isn't in that country.  When you visit another country you are subject to their laws, not ours/yours.
Will anyone know if you bring something small that violates the laws of another country?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  No one here can advise you in this regard.  You need to accept responsibility for your decision to break the law or policy of a cruise line.
This is usually where someone chimes in and posts a study offering how great some miracle substance is.    That's irrelevant.  This isn't about how effective, or safe, or good, or bad some substance is or is not.  
Will the cruise line rummage through your stuff and look for anything that violates the laws of another country?  Probably not.  Unless there is a medical event or some other thing that draws their attention.  Trip and break an ankle?  Then they find an illegal substance in your cabin.  So much for the lawsuit you are thinking about, at that point you are in violation and subject to whatever they decide including being kicked off wherever in the world you are, get home at your own expense.  There goes the lawsuit, you broke their policy.  
If you are riding a bus in another country and the bus gets in an accident.  In the aftermath somehow the local police find a pill or pill bottle.  Now it's a problem.  Now you are detained.  It's up to you to decide if you should break a law in another country.  
Is that worth the risk?  That's up to you to decide.  No one on the internet will be standing with you at that moment in a vain attempt to argue your case.  
 

Also - Old school here.  But, I cannot recall a time when a royal/celebrity inop app made me cry, or get frustrated.  The app will never impact my cruise_cation and fruity drinks on the beach. Once on the ship, the fun is mostly my responsibility.

Also - Old school here.  But, I cannot recall a time when a royal/celebrity inop app made me cry, or get frustrated.  The app will never impact my cruise_cation and fruity drinks on the beach. Once on the ship, the fun is mostly my responsibility.

Booked ascent for 12/01/24. First Celebrity. 
 

I have never had a receipt for a drink package drink. The only time I have ever had a receipt is when I did not have a drink package and paid for it. $0 Diamond drinks also give you a receipt, otherwise the several hundred others on the DX package I have had had not receipt. It did show in my room as a $0 cost for tracking. 

First, gratuities are added when you buy beverage packages, as you noted, so you aren't required to tip again. You may be given a slip to sign, and you don't need to add extra gratuities. Sometimes you won't get a slip. Now many folks add a dollar or two because they like the service, want stronger mixed drinks, order a lot of drinks, or are just generous. You decide what is right, but never feel guilty. I use drink vouchers that don't have gratuities built in, so I tip cash on those. Others will share their approach.

Also - Old school here.  But, I cannot recall a time when a royal/celebrity inop app made me cry, or get frustrated.  The app will never impact my cruise_cation and fruity drinks on the beach. Once on the ship, the fun is mostly my responsibility.

A man after my own heart!  I have a largish zippered passport holder.  A hard copy of every single confirmation/receipt for every aspect of our trip goes in there, in the order they might be needed.  Baby Boomers Unite!!!

Every cruise we've taken, packed in our carryon is a 3 ring notebook containing:
Copy of the ticket contract
Copy of our Set Sail Passes
Copy of the travel insurance policy
Copy of add on/excursion purchases
Yeah, there's electronic copies of all this stuff, but an anal retentive Geezer am I. 😁

I can't say I've ever cried when using the app, except maybe when viewing how many drinks I consumed in a day.

Definitely Eden and The Rooftop Grille. Edens food is very good but we really enjoyed eating outside and the food was excellent. We were concerned about the weather due to being a TA cruise in early May but we actually had very nice weather except for one day.
Pro tip for Eden when you show up ask to be seated near the kitchen so you can watch the staff preparing your meal. You can see the sea at most other venues, watching them prepare the meals is like dinner and a show.

Assuming this is the southbound Radiance OTS, the land tour will end at Seward.  We had most of the day to explore Seward before getting on the ship. 
Some recommendations: 1) go early to explore the city on your own before the land tour starts, 2) if tour includes Alyeska (Girdwood) get dining reservations at Seven Glaciers Restaurant (stunning views with good food), 3) if includes Talkeetna, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge has a wonderful patio space which on a clear day has Denali views (breath taking), 4) Cinnamon Rolls at Talkeetna Roadhouse (delicious), and 5) if in Anchorage, recommend Jens' Restaurant and Snow City Cafe (breakfast). Confession- I am a foodie. I navigate by restaurants. 

Assuming this is the southbound Radiance OTS, the land tour will end at Seward.  We had most of the day to explore Seward before getting on the ship. 
Some recommendations: 1) go early to explore the city on your own before the land tour starts, 2) if tour includes Alyeska (Girdwood) get dining reservations at Seven Glaciers Restaurant (stunning views with good food), 3) if includes Talkeetna, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge has a wonderful patio space which on a clear day has Denali views (breath taking), 4) Cinnamon Rolls at Talkeetna Roadhouse (delicious), and 5) if in Anchorage, recommend Jens' Restaurant and Snow City Cafe (breakfast). Confession- I am a foodie. I navigate by restaurants. 

And if you're not a foodie, take the free shuttle into the actual small town of Girdwood and eat casual food with the locals. We stayed at Alyeska for 2 nights during our 10 day DIY land portion in 2018 and our tour guide during a glacier hike told us Girdwood was affectionately known as "Weirdwood"... and it quickly became apparent why, lol. We also did laundry at a laundromat there... which was even weirder. Fond memories...

IMO, whatever else you do: ride the train in a dome car in Alaska!!!

We did a cruise tour once. I did not like the waiting around and we seemed rushed.
My in-laws enjoy bus trip vacations and have done a cruise tour twice. 
A couple examples of what I didn't like.
If we stopped  for a bathroom break you are waiting for 50-60 people and before our group was done another bus had came to add to the crowd.
When we went to Denali we went on the wilderness explorer trip. We had just a few minutes for a bathroom break before we had to leave on the explorer bus. Same situation when we came back from the trip. We did not even get a souvenir from Denali not enough time.
The nice thing was no driving, hotel rooms planned for you.   No worries.
I defiantly recommend spending more time in Alaska before or after cruise but personally I would rent a car and go at my own pace. 
 

I’ve always felt weird at the recognition events they have in the Promenade.  It’s nice to see the respect that everyone shows, but I get uncomfortable. 
 
Maybe it’s because I can actually be there and others can’t. 🤷‍♂️

I don't know if RCI would host/facilitate a Vet Meet & Greet. But I have seen a lot of "meet & greet" meetings posted on the bulletin board near the Guest Relations Desk like Red Hat Society, Friends of Bill, LGBTQ, etc. They post the date, time and location on the ship.
 
Go Army!
 
US Army Veteran
North Carolina 

Eden is fantastic, I was really blown away by my meal there 

For consideration.  We loved the specialty restaurants on Celebrity.   I am assuming you are not retreat level (if so, getting reservations at the times you want will not be an issue - plus the Luminae is awesome).  For my March 2025 celebrity cruise, I was able to reserve my 3 specialty restaurants at the times I wanted by individual purchases.  I caught different sales - alleviated all worries with late dinners and show/entertainment conflicts. Surprisingly, not that much more than the dining package. 
Be aware of "special dining experiences."  On our Apex cruise, we were able to purchase a Veuve Clicquot (our favorite champagne vineyard) pairing dinner.  We were blown away.
Enjoy!!!!

For consideration.  We loved the specialty restaurants on Celebrity.   I am assuming you are not retreat level (if so, getting reservations at the times you want will not be an issue - plus the Luminae is awesome).  For my March 2025 celebrity cruise, I was able to reserve my 3 specialty restaurants at the times I wanted by individual purchases.  I caught different sales - alleviated all worries with late dinners and show/entertainment conflicts. Surprisingly, not that much more than the dining package. 
Be aware of "special dining experiences."  On our Apex cruise, we were able to purchase a Veuve Clicquot (our favorite champagne vineyard) pairing dinner.  We were blown away.
Enjoy!!!!

@Matt - can we pin this thread?

Amtrak is notorious for delays.  If you do sleeper cabins it isn't cheap either and that doesn't typically come with good restful sleep.  Regular service is okay if you don't value or need good sleep, which is already iffy on many rail routes in America.  No kids and no issues recovering from a night of poor (no) sleep? No problem.  Amtrak may be your answer.  By that token, driving and Motel 6 provides a similar experience and they leave the light on for you.

Try CVG, Cincinnati airport in Northern Ky, much more options, and highly advise leaving one or even two days early, especially in the winter months, I work at CVG and saw many disappointed folks on a Saturday morning after a snow, not make it on time.