RCL includes food in buffet and the main restaurants. Most drinks are not included unless you are on a drinks package. The exceptions are water and tea/coffee in restaurants. Juices etc in buffet.
Do not book excursions in shore for a Europe trip. They are not usually worth it. The whole issue of whether you’ll get back on time is pretty redundant if you plan your day properly. Even in the worst case scenario you can jump in a taxi back to ship. It will probably still be less than ships tours! I’ve taken many cruises and never been close to missing sailaway. Usually ships will dock in ports not in city centre so you might take a bus or taxi into town or closest tourist spot. The best place to look for the latest ports of call information is the Cruis Critic community boards. Each country/region has its own board. Excellent source of information. In Europe the train network can easily/cheaply take you to most places you’d want to go. Eg the commuter train circumsuviana will take you from downtown Naples to Pompeii. It takes 20 minutes and costs less than a fiver. A taxi from the port to train station is about a tenner. Read up as much as you can beforehand and look at pictures so you know what to expect so it’s not so disorientating when you get to places.
RCL has my time dining- this means you can choose where you want to eat each night of the cruise but it operates on a first come first serve basis. So you need to make reservations online well before sailing to get a table where/when you want. You do not need to book for the buffet. The restaurants with a charge are booked in the same way and you might be able to get a package which can be good value. Extra charge restaurants are fun and food can be very good (as well as service) but you don’t need to eat in them. The other restaurants are still good on RCL.
You can dress up on RCL - many people will in the evening. But many won’t. It’s much more casual than P&O, Celebrity. Formal night is optional.
As soon as you get on board you should sign up for the kids/teens club. There is a daily paper which details all activities. You will see instructions for signing up here. Take a highlighter pen and mark up each day what you’re interested in. You don’t need to book stuff for the kids beforehand.
We are very independent travelers who dislike resorts. We like culture, history good food. Cruising suits us because we get some luxury on board but once we step of we can do our own thing and get off the beaten track really easily. We don’t hire a car but I know people do for some ports.
Other top tips. Board early as you can. Eat lunch on board as soon as you arrive- head to the buffet (but it will be busy) or scope out quieter venues on the message board for RCL on CC.