1) Is the laundry service expensive?
Just came back from Nieuw Statendam 7 night cruise and it was $63 for unlimited laundry for the trip. I usually purchase it every voyage as I would rather pack lighter (and not have to return home to do laundry 😆)
2) Are drinks free if you are gambling?
No - as mentioned there are casino offers which include free drinks in casino; however, speak to the casino team once onboard and you have some play on your card already. They might be able to rate you then and offer you something (worth a shot)?
3) Should we opt out of the Gratuities and tip individually?
That's totally up to you; however, I personally appreciate having the gratuity applied and being split to everyone on their end. Going to other resorts or Vegas where tipping has to be done everywhere individually is A LOT (Its nice to not have to worry about carrying $1 or $5 everywhere for once). There are some crew that really do an incredible job that I'll go out of my way to tip individually; also casino servers I'll tip individually as they will often remember me by name and have drinks out in incredible time lol
4) How early should we arrive for the initial boarding?
The suggested time on your boarding pass is useless these days, show up whenever and you'll be good lol.
5) How early should we show up for the entertaiment venues?
Most things I'd recommend 30mins if you want good seats, 15mins prior its a little iffy - any later than that you'll have very little pick.
6) Do we just show up for the included dining or can we make reservations?
Anytime dining you can show up whenever; however, there may be a bit of a wait if you want a table for 2. They'll hand out pagers so you can head to the ocean bar and enjoy a drink while you wait. If you don't mind sharing a table you can usually get seated right away.
So sorry for so many questions!!