jaullram

I pasted the link to your blog, @Jax's blog, and @WAAAYTOOO's SC Anthem blogs in my original post here in this thread. ?

We were on the last Anthem sailing before the cancellations and I did a recap of our cruise under the Live Blog section of the message boards (I can't figure out how to paste the link).
Star class is amazing and we stayed in 10324 which was phenomenal.  Take a look through my recap as I summarized what our Genie did for us.
 
 
 

We were on the last Anthem sailing before the cancellations and I did a recap of our cruise under the Live Blog section of the message boards (I can't figure out how to paste the link).
Star class is amazing and we stayed in 10324 which was phenomenal.  Take a look through my recap as I summarized what our Genie did for us.
 
 
 

I can't believe it was the last cruise on Anthem before the shut down.  Right now, we have our next Star Class in September 2021.  We have had 4 cancelled so far and can't wait to get back to cruising!

I can't believe it was the last cruise on Anthem before the shut down.  Right now, we have our next Star Class in September 2021.  We have had 4 cancelled so far and can't wait to get back to cruising!

Debarkation Day
Saddest day.  Yen asked us what we wanted delivered to our room for breakfast and what time we wanted to get off the ship.  Promptly at 7:15 our breakfast arrived (bagels, pastries, coffee and juice).  We caught Brian and Lucky out in the hallway after breakfast and gave them their tips for amazing service.  Yen came with a porter at 8AM and whisked us off the ship with our luggage in no time.  She used her special card to get us on an elevator with our porter which was great.  As we said our final goodbye near customs I had tears in my eyes thinking about the best week we had and the amazing things she did for us.
After having some time to think about the cruise, there are some amenities I wish we had taken advantage of.  Hubby and I are not “sit down” for breakfast types but I wish I had done Coastal Kitchen once for breakfast.  The others in our party did Coastal most days and said they really enjoyed it.  The other thing we never did was Jaime’s or Chops for lunch.  I would have loved to try one of the burgers or enjoyed a nice salad and soup.  On sea days we always had a lot scheduled so we grabbed Johnny Rockets one day and Windjammer for the other sea days.  I felt it was hard last minute to change plans since there were 10 of us but I wish at least hubby and I did more specialty dining for lunch.
Would I do Star Class again – of course (if I could afford it of course)!!  We are currently trying to get 2 BR Aqua theater for September but unless the prices drop, we are going to stick with our Owner’s Suite (we are wait listed for Crown Loft which is sold out).  Our next Star Class experience is on a short 4 night cruise in November on Oasis.
We had an amazing cruise, a lot of laughs, enjoyed being spoiled and look forward to our next adventure! Thanks for following along.  With all of the craziness going on across the world with the dreaded “C” word, I enjoyed positing this to distract those who followed along.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who posted great tips and did their own live blogs that I followed along with leading up to our cruise.  All of the questions I had and nervousness about not being able to plan all of my dining ahead of the cruise were alleviated by people explaining that the Genie really does take care of everything – and she did!  Until next time, stay safe everyone and I will be looking forward to cruises sailing again so I can read along on other blogs in the future!

Thank you for the replies.  We are going to find some more people because I REALLY want to sail in the suite!

I read the order (I am not lawyer), but it looks like cruise lines need to 1st meet all of the CDCs requirements in the order then 2nd, apply to the CDC a request (30 days prior) to conduct a simulated voyage (page 27, footnote 17) and then after those sailing(s), 3rd apply to the CDC a request (60 days prior) to begin conditional sailings (page 28, footnote 18).  I think that the application for conditional sailings has to be after the simulated sailings occur because page 29, part 8, says that the cruise lines need to certify that they are in compliance with all of the other requirements in the framework (which I believe, includes having simulated cruises). If that is the case, I unfortunately, don't see how sailings will begin until February or March at the earliest.  Hopefully Royal will announce something as I can't wait to get back on the open seas!!!

Day 2 – Sea Day
This was a very busy day.  Usually on a cruise we hang out on our balcony, read, go to the casino and just take the time to relax.  This cruise we found ourselves trying new things.
Although I have been on Anthem I have never done the bumper cars as the line is so long.  Yen met us at bumper cars at 10 and we got to cut to the front of the line.  It was so much fun!

After bumper cars some of the girls went to the Cupcake decorating class.  It was a little over an hour long and we got to make a flower cupcake and “burgers and fries”.  Once done, we were able to eat our cupcakes or take them back with us (although the safety waiver we signed said we couldn’t take them but we were allowed). 

 
I have already done iFly but my husband’s cousin wanted to try it and she did amazing!!!  There were only 3 people in her group so they let the group try it twice.  The instructor (whose name was “B”) was amazing and we ended up with some great photos.  He was pretty easy on the eyes too! And yes, this is a picture of him balancing her on his head!!

 

J’s cousin had mentioned that we liked snacks so everyday we received fruit, cheese and crackers, soft pretzels with mustard and canapes.  We asked for snacks to be delivered around 3 and like clockwork, they were there everyday.  In addition, yen also had late night pizza, wings, chips and salsa which was a nice surprise.  There was definitely no shortage of food.
 

Some random photos from the day:


We ate dinner at Chops and definitely had food coma after!  Yen met us there and every drink that we ordered on the first night at dinner was waiting for us at our table which was a very nice touch.  A lot of the group had Spectra’s Cabaret at 7:15 so dinner was quick (which I like better).  I didn’t go to Spectra’s but Yen had reserved great seats and also had everyone’s drinks waiting for them which they loved.
My husband and I went to the casino (which we do most nights) and I met my two favorite bartenders on the ship – Junior and Mark.  They got to know most of our group and remembered each of our drink orders.  Now that they knew our orders, anytime we walked near the bar they had our drinks out…whether we needed one or not. …this resulted in too many drinks, not a clear memory of the night and some very blurry photos on my phone of four of us dancing at Boleros!  From what I do remember – so much fun!  If anyone gets to meet Junior at the casino bar, ask him to make you something special and he will put together a great drink. I recommend the Sexy Ocean.

It was very late when we got back so the pizza and wings were cold but who doesn’t like cold pizza!

I have been reading all of the live blogs others are doing of their Star Class cruise and thought about attempting one, however, I didn’t want to be constantly on my phone blogging about the day’s events or answering questions so mine is going to be an “after the fact” blog!  I am certainly not witty and it likely won’t be as funny or entertaining as others but hope to provide some information for anyone else looking for it.  I will space the posts out so if people have specific questions I can answer them along the way.  I am also currently going through all of my photos so future posts will hopefully have less content and more pictures!
Booking
We booked this cruise over a year ago.  We always try to book early to secure a location we wanted and my SIL asked if we wanted to try Star class this trip since we are celebrating big anniversaries.  The prices of the rooms weren’t that bad on Anthem compared to some of the other ships sailing in March.  We booked and then sometime over the summer, my BIL’s parents and nieces decided to join us and they snagged the last Star Class suite on Deck 10. My Husband, his cousin and myself stayed in GLS 10324, my SIL, BIL and niece were in GLS 10724 and my BIL’s parents and their 2 grand kids were in GLS 10720.
Prior to the Cruise
About a month out we received the generic questionnaire about any special requests, who we would be cruising with and some other random questions.  We were sailing with 10 of us in total in 3 Grand Loft Suites on Deck 10 and requested that we have the same Genie.  We also requested what we wanted stocked in our room for drinks and snacks.
A little over two weeks before the cruise, our Genie, Yen Lee reached out to us introducing herself.  From what I have read about Yen, she will make anything we want happen but we shouldn’t expect any real surprises.  That was completely fine with me because I am not one who likes surprises….I used to open my Christmas presents before Christmas and re-wrap them all again! 
We provided her a spreadsheet of where we wanted reservations for dinner for 4 of the nights and a list of what other things we wanted to do (iFly, Flow Rider, Cupcake Decorating, Rock Climbing, Galley/Bridge/Theater tours, North Star, etc.).  We also asked that the two cabanas we had booked at Chill Island on Cococay be next to one another in the front row (specifically Cabana #4 and #5).  After some back and forth emails between Yen, my SIL and myself, we got a final schedule around 5 days out with everything we wanted scheduled.  She indicated she appreciated the spreadsheet as it made it easier for her to make our final schedule for the week. 
This is what she sent to us:

One thing we had really wanted was to have a lunch set up in one of the suites on embarkation day to avoid all of the crowds.  We know we could have eaten at Coastal Kitchen or any of the specialty restaurants but wanted something in our room. Within 24 hours Yen replied with menus we could order off of (Jaime’s and Chops) along with letting us know we could also order pizza.  I have heard a lot of people were told they couldn’t set up lunch in the room on embarkation day but because we were her only suites, I think it made it easier for her to accommodate us. 

I have been reading all of the live blogs others are doing of their Star Class cruise and thought about attempting one, however, I didn’t want to be constantly on my phone blogging about the day’s events or answering questions so mine is going to be an “after the fact” blog!  I am certainly not witty and it likely won’t be as funny or entertaining as others but hope to provide some information for anyone else looking for it.  I will space the posts out so if people have specific questions I can answer them along the way.  I am also currently going through all of my photos so future posts will hopefully have less content and more pictures!
Booking
We booked this cruise over a year ago.  We always try to book early to secure a location we wanted and my SIL asked if we wanted to try Star class this trip since we are celebrating big anniversaries.  The prices of the rooms weren’t that bad on Anthem compared to some of the other ships sailing in March.  We booked and then sometime over the summer, my BIL’s parents and nieces decided to join us and they snagged the last Star Class suite on Deck 10. My Husband, his cousin and myself stayed in GLS 10324, my SIL, BIL and niece were in GLS 10724 and my BIL’s parents and their 2 grand kids were in GLS 10720.
Prior to the Cruise
About a month out we received the generic questionnaire about any special requests, who we would be cruising with and some other random questions.  We were sailing with 10 of us in total in 3 Grand Loft Suites on Deck 10 and requested that we have the same Genie.  We also requested what we wanted stocked in our room for drinks and snacks.
A little over two weeks before the cruise, our Genie, Yen Lee reached out to us introducing herself.  From what I have read about Yen, she will make anything we want happen but we shouldn’t expect any real surprises.  That was completely fine with me because I am not one who likes surprises….I used to open my Christmas presents before Christmas and re-wrap them all again! 
We provided her a spreadsheet of where we wanted reservations for dinner for 4 of the nights and a list of what other things we wanted to do (iFly, Flow Rider, Cupcake Decorating, Rock Climbing, Galley/Bridge/Theater tours, North Star, etc.).  We also asked that the two cabanas we had booked at Chill Island on Cococay be next to one another in the front row (specifically Cabana #4 and #5).  After some back and forth emails between Yen, my SIL and myself, we got a final schedule around 5 days out with everything we wanted scheduled.  She indicated she appreciated the spreadsheet as it made it easier for her to make our final schedule for the week. 
This is what she sent to us:

One thing we had really wanted was to have a lunch set up in one of the suites on embarkation day to avoid all of the crowds.  We know we could have eaten at Coastal Kitchen or any of the specialty restaurants but wanted something in our room. Within 24 hours Yen replied with menus we could order off of (Jaime’s and Chops) along with letting us know we could also order pizza.  I have heard a lot of people were told they couldn’t set up lunch in the room on embarkation day but because we were her only suites, I think it made it easier for her to accommodate us. 

Debarkation Day
Saddest day.  Yen asked us what we wanted delivered to our room for breakfast and what time we wanted to get off the ship.  Promptly at 7:15 our breakfast arrived (bagels, pastries, coffee and juice).  We caught Brian and Lucky out in the hallway after breakfast and gave them their tips for amazing service.  Yen came with a porter at 8AM and whisked us off the ship with our luggage in no time.  She used her special card to get us on an elevator with our porter which was great.  As we said our final goodbye near customs I had tears in my eyes thinking about the best week we had and the amazing things she did for us.
After having some time to think about the cruise, there are some amenities I wish we had taken advantage of.  Hubby and I are not “sit down” for breakfast types but I wish I had done Coastal Kitchen once for breakfast.  The others in our party did Coastal most days and said they really enjoyed it.  The other thing we never did was Jaime’s or Chops for lunch.  I would have loved to try one of the burgers or enjoyed a nice salad and soup.  On sea days we always had a lot scheduled so we grabbed Johnny Rockets one day and Windjammer for the other sea days.  I felt it was hard last minute to change plans since there were 10 of us but I wish at least hubby and I did more specialty dining for lunch.
Would I do Star Class again – of course (if I could afford it of course)!!  We are currently trying to get 2 BR Aqua theater for September but unless the prices drop, we are going to stick with our Owner’s Suite (we are wait listed for Crown Loft which is sold out).  Our next Star Class experience is on a short 4 night cruise in November on Oasis.
We had an amazing cruise, a lot of laughs, enjoyed being spoiled and look forward to our next adventure! Thanks for following along.  With all of the craziness going on across the world with the dreaded “C” word, I enjoyed positing this to distract those who followed along.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who posted great tips and did their own live blogs that I followed along with leading up to our cruise.  All of the questions I had and nervousness about not being able to plan all of my dining ahead of the cruise were alleviated by people explaining that the Genie really does take care of everything – and she did!  Until next time, stay safe everyone and I will be looking forward to cruises sailing again so I can read along on other blogs in the future!

Day 6 – Sea Day
Since Cococay was our last stop, we were officially heading back to NJ.  There were a lot of passengers on board worried as to whether we were going to be quarantined but the Captain announced that no one was showing signs of being sick so that made it ease our minds.  Through the entire cruise, crew were wiping railings, door handles into rooms, doors, walls, etc. so they really did a good job.
It was another late night so we slept in but had various activities planned throughout the day beginning with the Galley Tour.  It was only about 20 minutes and they cancelled it for everyone except Star Class suites due to the health and safety of the guests.  Yen told us that they made an exception for us since no one in the group was showing any signs of being sick.  I am still amazed how the crew prepares so much food!

 

 

 
After the Galley tour, 3 of us had Escape from the Future Puzzle Break scheduled.  The theme is that the cruise ship has traveled through time and we have to solve the puzzles to bring the ship back to the current time.  There were 8 of us in total and it required a lot of communication, but we were able to “escape” in a little over a half hour.  We are (hopefully) sailing Oasis in September so looking forward to trying that escape room.
In the afternoon a few people went to a private wine tasting at Vintages that Yen had set up.  I am personally not a wine drinker but those who did it raved about being able to try some VERY expensive wines (I think they said one bottle was close to $600).  There was a cost to this of around $175 for 3 people but Yen surprised them on the last night and actually had the wine tasting comped!
Everyone in the group but my husband and I saw We Will Rock You at 6:30 – of course Yen had their drinks waiting.  Since hubby and I wanted to have a nice dinner with just the two of us, Yen arranged to have Lobster and some sides from Chops delivered to our room.  I FINALLY caught a picture of dinner before it was devoured!!! Yeah me!
 

 
After dinner we met up with those that went to the show and they said they really enjoyed it.  Of course, hubby and I headed to the casino where we finally had some luck!
We got back to the room and Yen had come in and decorated for our anniversary and left us a cake to enjoy.  Very sweet.
 

 
 

 

 
 
Brian and Lucky left us the cutest penguin too!
 

I'm going to do something I've never done and actually guess against what @Matt said earlier.  I agree that it would not be so far fetched to move it.  It goes back to that question in the other post, would they rather have some cancellations and sail somewhat empty or cancel everyone and not sail at all?  Like everything else in this mess, who knows, but it would not surprise me if they moved Oasis.

I think zero percent chance Royal Caribbean takes a planned sailing from Bayonne (or anywhere) and moves the embarkation port down to Florida. 
Very, very, very few people from original sailing would be okay with just sucking up new costs and logistics of going to Florida. 
If RC flat out cancelled the sailing and then moved the ship to Florida to offer alternative sailings, it would be equally impossible because that would leave weeks or months to sell rooms. They'd barely sell anything, as you have to remember a typical sailing goes on sale for years before it actually sets sail.

It has a "1" in front of sail date : - )

We are booked on Oasis for September (I know, there is a chance cruising won't be up and running but we are hopeful).  Since many ships are off the coast of Florida and the virus is horrible in NY/NJ area, is there a chance Royal would change the ship to sail our of Florida instead?

Day 7 – Last Sea Day
A very sad day….last sea day.  This is the day where we had to start packing and enjoy every last minute on the ship.  We had great weather the entire cruise so it was nice to still be able to sit out on our balcony.  Since we didn’t get much wind back there, sitting in the sun was very nice.

 

 
We only had plans to do the back stage tour and bridge tour.  I had already done the back stage tour so I only opted to do the bridge tour.  Yen met us in the afternoon with one other Star Class group to do the bridge tour.  When we got to the bridge, there was a bar set up for us with soda and champagne….talk about feeling like royalty!

 

 

 

 
It was very interesting to hear how they dock, how the ship sails itself and the tutorial on the radar.  The bridge definitely has an amazing view.
After the tour, we asked Yen to join us for dinner at Chops.  She said she was unable to but would join us for dessert. 
Dinner was amazing and we enjoyed having one last opportunity to eat at Chops.  Of course, all of our drinks were waiting for us.  Yen joined us for dessert and surprised us with a birthday cake for some of us celebrating milestones this year and the restaurant sang us Happy Birthday. 
This is our group with Yen.
 

 

@Lovetocruise2002That must be why I can't find any Star Class rooms available!!!  I do see a Star Loft but was hoping for 2BR Aqua since there are 4 adults.

I was looking at March 2022 cruises on Oasis and the March 22, 2022 cruise is missing....does that mean it is already sold out or is it chartered?  That was the date we wanted so curious if anyone knows.

@Lovetocruise2002 Yen made it all seamless.  We did have certain nights we asked her to schedule dinner in advance of the cruise.  On the nights we didn't have plans to just let her know the night before.  I think the only difficult thing was we didn't always know what the plan was.  When we opened the balcony and had room service for most of us that was only a few hours before that we decided and she made it all happen.  She was wonderful!

Us as well. We’re in 10330. I keep hoping one on deck 8 or 9 opens up for to move to a better one. 

We are in the 2BR Aqua theater on the four nighter on Deck 10!

We’ll be hopping on Oasis as you get off of the four nighter. I tried to convince my wife to do the B2B but she decided a 4 night on Independence was a better idea as it involves less missed school. It’ll be our first SC cruise and in a 2BR Aquatheater.