Hope this is helpful. Enjoy Harmony!

1) I've begun looking at the drink package as a cost of doing business and a way to have a clear picture of my total vacation cost up front. Whether it is "worth it" or not is an individual decision. I'd say if you're drinking 5 alcoholic drinks a day, coffee in the morning, and picking up 2 or 3 bottles of water a day, it is worth it. I wrote a post about drink packages over a year ago, and it's one of the most searched for things on my little blog. (Please note FT rules require that I advise you that I am a contributor to the blog linked here.)

2) You can enroll in Crown & Anchor in advance (which is actually a change from the old days). You won't receive any real benefits until after your first cruise, but you can take advantage of the onboard booking bonus if you book another cruise while onboard.

3) You can complete waiver forms for activities like Flow Rider, Zip Line, etc. in advance online. Will save you a few minutes onboard. If you are an adventurous eater, I highly recommend Wonderland. Jamie Oliver's was OK on Quantum. Actually....more than OK. I went twice. Is it old world Italian? No. Does it beat the Italian you can get in fab restaurants in NYC? No. But it was good. Chops Grille is solid, but I always pay the extra uncharge for the dry aged NY Strip, and I'm rarely disappointed with that.

4) If you don't prepay gratuities, they will add $12.95 per day per person to your onboard bill to cover tipping, $15.95 if you are in a suite. They auto add gratuity to drink purchases. If you buy a package, they'll add the 18% on the total up front. If someone goes above and beyond for me, they get extra in cash.