For a group that large I would check with the restaurant manager for one of the regular restaurants on boarding. For the life of me though I can’t imagine giving up all those suite benefits You cannot make the reservations because you are assigned to reserve dining which has no reservations. You may have one of the non suite passengers try
You will get the cruise credits but not all of the suite benefits. I believe that the free specialty restaurant on embarkation day only applies to cruises 6 days and longer
Now that the trains are running again we take them rather than the bus but always go in the day before as delays can always happen especially on train routes used by passenger and freight trains
And we are preferring non Royal class ships. Each to their own. We did like Royal class right after restart but not ever since we cruise on a full ship with tons of families cramping 4 people into insides and balconies
If the dinner is $119 a normal 20% tip would be around $25. The tip you mention is more like what we would tip out our reserve class crew for an entire cruise
On every transfer I have done you pick up your luggage at curbside at the hotel or airport. I sincerely doubt the bus driver is going to haul your bags into the hotel and leave with the front desk. That is not their job