mk-ultra

I'm D+.  Usually in a suite and with a DBP.  For me, I don't see any substantial benefit until I hit 340 points.  That's where the single supplement drops from 200% to 150%.  That's a pretty decent savings for a solo cruiser.

I "accidentally" started collecting when my Genie dropped off one of the large ship models as a surprise.  Now I always buy one of the small ones if they're in stock on a cruise.  I've got a nice little fleet going.

Hi Mitch,
I've pretty much bid on every cabin upgrade (that interested me) since the inception of the program.  I never won until my last cruise.  I'd paid for a Grand Suite.  I really wanted a Grand Loft Suite, but for that particular Alaska cruise they were stupid expensive.
I don't know if this counts as a "strategy", but I put in the minimum bid plus bumping the slider over a couple of extra notches ($200 above min or so).  I used to bid for things on eBay a lot and bumping a little above minimum seemed to work reasonably well.  I got a Grand Loft Suite (one of those 2 floor ones) at a stupidly good price... and a bump to Star Class.
Natch, it's just going to depend on the number of bidders and how hungry they are.  YMMV.  From a Suite guarantee -- I'd probably place bids on the OS and RS just to roll the dice.

Hi Mitch,
I've pretty much bid on every cabin upgrade (that interested me) since the inception of the program.  I never won until my last cruise.  I'd paid for a Grand Suite.  I really wanted a Grand Loft Suite, but for that particular Alaska cruise they were stupid expensive.
I don't know if this counts as a "strategy", but I put in the minimum bid plus bumping the slider over a couple of extra notches ($200 above min or so).  I used to bid for things on eBay a lot and bumping a little above minimum seemed to work reasonably well.  I got a Grand Loft Suite (one of those 2 floor ones) at a stupidly good price... and a bump to Star Class.
Natch, it's just going to depend on the number of bidders and how hungry they are.  YMMV.  From a Suite guarantee -- I'd probably place bids on the OS and RS just to roll the dice.

No bartender or FoH management on a ship is going to mess around diluting alcohol.  You'll get a 2oz jigger-measured pour, which may seem light compared to non-ship bars that have a heavier hand.
Tip: use the same bar and bartenders and tip.  They may accidentally begin to overfill that jigger.

I’m sticking with “aardvark with bondage fetish.”

I couldn’t agree more with @WAAAYTOOO about the WhatsApp, even if you carry your phone everywhere like us. IMHO the daily personal interaction with your genie is part of what makes Star different. We’ve had it both ways…the in your face constantly when the program launched to almost strictly WhatsApp during the restart. Our last genie took a happy middle of the road approach for us. She used WhatsApp strictly for us, meaning if we needed something in the moment, text her. But if she wanted to discuss something with us, she tracked us down in person. 

As with what Waaaytooo said, communicate your needs up front, and that goes for everything. One of the biggest lessons we learned is not to expect your genie to anticipate your needs. Some genies are great at that and some are not but we have not had one that didn’t seem appreciative of that up front communication.  They’ve all seemed to genuinely want us to have an amazing experience. 

Sorry.  That was totally me.  I steal coffee, tea and sugar packets when I travel.  Didn't know they'd get recirculated.  The IHOP ones should come with some vaguely Swedish crepes and lingonberries.  The crepes are hard to pocket though.  I can't imagine the horror of being served coffee without a saucer.
I'll alert the media.  Also: paragraphs are a thing.

Sorry.  That was totally me.  I steal coffee, tea and sugar packets when I travel.  Didn't know they'd get recirculated.  The IHOP ones should come with some vaguely Swedish crepes and lingonberries.  The crepes are hard to pocket though.  I can't imagine the horror of being served coffee without a saucer.
I'll alert the media.  Also: paragraphs are a thing.

Thank you MK! We have reserved all of our excursions, so we’ll just sit back and wait for our genie to contact us. We are traveling with our 17 year old son and 16 year old daughter, so we’re looking forward to having the genie reserve some of the activities they’re looking forward to doing. 

Just recently returned from this same trip in Star Class on Quantum.  Genie (Yen) basically booked everything onboard for me ahead of time -- including dining, iFly, Escape Room, bridge tour... all the things.  Honestly, my shipboard schedule was packed solid.  I just reviewed the proposed itinerary and requested a couple of modifications.  Let them help you.  That's one of the best things about booking this category.  Shore excursions are up to you, so that's what I'd concentrate on.  The really good ones tend to sell out fast.

Did a quick 2.5 hours ashore in Victoria. Not enough time to really explore, but fine for a nice walk to the wharf and a crab fight.
Came back to a Genie gift. Carved wood salad serving set with Tligit style eagles 🦅 on the handles.  Awesome!  It's really is a personalized gift -- Yen knew I loved cooking.  Her two other cabins got different, equally well thought out gifts.  I spent some time looking for some sort of a Tligit raven to take home that piqued my fancy (no joy -- eagles everywhere).
In Tligit mythology, the raven is the one who releases mankind from a clam shell.  The raven is also a notorious trickster.  I like the raven.  Eagle is beautiful, but raven is me.  A lot of Tligit art has raven, man and clam on one side... and all the other animal spirits on the other having a, "WTF did you do, raven?" moment of stern stares.

Taking some pics yesterday I totally missed that mama bear has a cub.  So, cub:

UPS is the most unique cabin I've ever had.  Didn't miss not having a balcony one bit.  It's a teensy walk out to the pool deck... and holy smokes they load up anything you may want to drink.  First time I've ever said, "LESS FOOD, please."  You'll absolutely be buried in booze and plates of snacky bits.

Still batting clean-up on this trip.  Another highlight was the bridge tour.  If you're a nerd, please do it.  You won't be disappointed.  Sometimes you get to go right to the middle of the bridge, but this one (like the last) put us in one of the bridge wings off to the side.  You aren't missing anything -- there are repeater consoles and controls there mirroring everything you'd see.   Security is TIGHT.  Like one security officer for every 3 of us, and you'll be wanded.
They had one of the four main generators down for maintenance.  They're electrical generators that create a pool of electricity to power both propulsion and "hotel" (the rest of the ship), not motors directly driving the props.   They have two big gens, two smaller ones, and a couple of aux ones that just do hotel duty.  They also do some pretty major maintenance underway -- including yanking one from service and doing top-end rebuilds like removing and re-ringing pistons.  With all four online they have 90MW on-tap.  With 3 they can still do 22 knots.
We were joined by a young guy in a white engineering jumpsuit, who graciously answered my nerd questions by the wing console (just privately -- I wasn't asking them for our little group).
At one point, I did ask a non-nerd question for the entire group.  "What was your path to becoming a bridge engineering officer?"  Sticking my foot squarely in my mouth.
"Sir, I'm second officer on the watch."
1. Not engineering.
2. I'm not "sir", that was my father.
3. Jeebus, who let kids be watch officers?
4. I'm old.  The "kid" is a fully-qualified, college educated officer who worked their ass off to get the hours and experience to confuse me by wearing an engineer's coveralls.
I still gave him shit for being out of uniform on the bridge.  Turnabout is fair play.  😛

My last bit of fun (not) was dealing with Marriott's billing for my stay at the JW Marriott Parq.  There's probably a better word to describe it, but totally f-ed up is a start.  3 calls and the same number of emails later I'm starting to see charges reversed and credit given.  Still waiting on a last version of my folio to see if we're square, but I think we're close at this point.  Marriott has gone radio silent.
Not a cruise thing.  But for y'all doing FH&R with AMEX a caveat.: You need to audit your folios like a hawk. 😛  I've done this rodeo a few times previously.  Lotte hotel did it perfectly; Marriott not so much.  When I called in to correct, Marriott added CAD $271.84 to my bill.  In USD, that doesn't line up with anything I could possibly be charged for... a week+ after checking out.
I finally gave up trying to deal with Marriott and sic'd AMEX Travel on them since they're technically my TA for the hotel booking.  That got traction immediately.
LOL and go AMEX.  I'd already checked out from the Lotte, but AMEX put out a Lotte hotel offer today before the charge posted to my account.  $100 back.  Squee!

My wife is the shopper in my house...she laughs at the "sales" on every cruise.
Short of buying a refrigerator magnet onboard, we never bother with anything else...even the liquor bottle prices are extremely high compared to what's available back home.

Since WhatsApp relies on the internet to work, you’d need to buy an internet package to be able to use it. 

Yes.  Off peak is off peak because fewer people are booking cruises.  That includes families with kids in school.
Off peak is typically right after Labor day, between Thanksgiving and mid-December,  much of January, then a smaller deviation from peak after Easter through to late May/early June when schools are out for the summer.

My last bit of fun (not) was dealing with Marriott's billing for my stay at the JW Marriott Parq.  There's probably a better word to describe it, but totally f-ed up is a start.  3 calls and the same number of emails later I'm starting to see charges reversed and credit given.  Still waiting on a last version of my folio to see if we're square, but I think we're close at this point.  Marriott has gone radio silent.
Not a cruise thing.  But for y'all doing FH&R with AMEX a caveat.: You need to audit your folios like a hawk. 😛  I've done this rodeo a few times previously.  Lotte hotel did it perfectly; Marriott not so much.  When I called in to correct, Marriott added CAD $271.84 to my bill.  In USD, that doesn't line up with anything I could possibly be charged for... a week+ after checking out.
I finally gave up trying to deal with Marriott and sic'd AMEX Travel on them since they're technically my TA for the hotel booking.  That got traction immediately.
LOL and go AMEX.  I'd already checked out from the Lotte, but AMEX put out a Lotte hotel offer today before the charge posted to my account.  $100 back.  Squee!

Royal knows Liberty needs some TLC but Royal has investors and creditors they need to satisfy.  They have to show those folks that they are starting to address their massive debt.   
Royal needs to explain to these folks the value of an amplification and why putting $120 million dollars into Liberty and $200 million dollars into Allure is a good business decision.  They need to develop a business plan and illustrate how the amplification investment will allow Royal to pay back their debt faster.  The creditors are nervous.  They have billions and billions at stake if Royal gets it wrong.  
It takes time to see that the industry is stabilizing.  It takes time to prove the risk is worth it.  Once they can get these folks to agree, they will amplify.  

They kind of do... casino royale.  🤣

Still batting clean-up on this trip.  Another highlight was the bridge tour.  If you're a nerd, please do it.  You won't be disappointed.  Sometimes you get to go right to the middle of the bridge, but this one (like the last) put us in one of the bridge wings off to the side.  You aren't missing anything -- there are repeater consoles and controls there mirroring everything you'd see.   Security is TIGHT.  Like one security officer for every 3 of us, and you'll be wanded.
They had one of the four main generators down for maintenance.  They're electrical generators that create a pool of electricity to power both propulsion and "hotel" (the rest of the ship), not motors directly driving the props.   They have two big gens, two smaller ones, and a couple of aux ones that just do hotel duty.  They also do some pretty major maintenance underway -- including yanking one from service and doing top-end rebuilds like removing and re-ringing pistons.  With all four online they have 90MW on-tap.  With 3 they can still do 22 knots.
We were joined by a young guy in a white engineering jumpsuit, who graciously answered my nerd questions by the wing console (just privately -- I wasn't asking them for our little group).
At one point, I did ask a non-nerd question for the entire group.  "What was your path to becoming a bridge engineering officer?"  Sticking my foot squarely in my mouth.
"Sir, I'm second officer on the watch."
1. Not engineering.
2. I'm not "sir", that was my father.
3. Jeebus, who let kids be watch officers?
4. I'm old.  The "kid" is a fully-qualified, college educated officer who worked their ass off to get the hours and experience to confuse me by wearing an engineer's coveralls.
I still gave him shit for being out of uniform on the bridge.  Turnabout is fair play.  😛

Disembarking (with a Genie) is pretty damn near magical.  Seriously, at least 50% of the value of having a Genie is how friction-less they make everything.  I used the old "go up to go down" trick to get down to deck 5 with my two bags to meet our Genie at the Shore Excursion desk.  I'm glad that one still works. 🙂  We (all of Yen's charges) bypassed the entirety of disembarking drama and parted ways when we reached the CBP checkpoint.
Taxi rank was about 20 minutes.  Not bad.  Another 15 to the Lotte hotel with a lovely driver who moved here 15 years ago.  She was sweet.
At Lotte, dropped my bags at the entry bell desk, checked in at the 16th floor reception, and got another winner of an FH&R room upgrade.




Decor here is all Philippe Starck, but a little more marble-y than any of the other hotels he's done.  Still, pushes my buttons in a happy way.  Lotte is a South Korean hotel brand, and they definitely have already shown an APAC level of excellence US hotels forgot a couple of decades ago.
Immediately left the hotel to be a tourist.  Pike Place Market is a ~13 minute walk away.  Caveat: I'm all legs.  I've been there before, so quick advice: yes, it's touristy as all get out.  No, it is NOT a junky tourist trap.  There are fantastic eateries, fantastic meat, spice, tea and produce markets... high-end cutlery, local artist stalls... and (of course) a wide selection of tourist trinkets and clothing.
The surrounding 3-4 blocks are also all packed with a wealth of choices for all of the above.
I went for crab cakes and a couple of pints of one of my favorite Elysium IPAs (local beer) at Lowell's.  We get Elysium in SF too, but they have a giant selection on tap here.  Yay!





Followed Pike's up with a little retail therapy.  Went to the Pendleton store for a couple of shirts, and then some very important kitchen supplies:

Still batting clean-up on this trip.  Another highlight was the bridge tour.  If you're a nerd, please do it.  You won't be disappointed.  Sometimes you get to go right to the middle of the bridge, but this one (like the last) put us in one of the bridge wings off to the side.  You aren't missing anything -- there are repeater consoles and controls there mirroring everything you'd see.   Security is TIGHT.  Like one security officer for every 3 of us, and you'll be wanded.
They had one of the four main generators down for maintenance.  They're electrical generators that create a pool of electricity to power both propulsion and "hotel" (the rest of the ship), not motors directly driving the props.   They have two big gens, two smaller ones, and a couple of aux ones that just do hotel duty.  They also do some pretty major maintenance underway -- including yanking one from service and doing top-end rebuilds like removing and re-ringing pistons.  With all four online they have 90MW on-tap.  With 3 they can still do 22 knots.
We were joined by a young guy in a white engineering jumpsuit, who graciously answered my nerd questions by the wing console (just privately -- I wasn't asking them for our little group).
At one point, I did ask a non-nerd question for the entire group.  "What was your path to becoming a bridge engineering officer?"  Sticking my foot squarely in my mouth.
"Sir, I'm second officer on the watch."
1. Not engineering.
2. I'm not "sir", that was my father.
3. Jeebus, who let kids be watch officers?
4. I'm old.  The "kid" is a fully-qualified, college educated officer who worked their ass off to get the hours and experience to confuse me by wearing an engineer's coveralls.
I still gave him shit for being out of uniform on the bridge.  Turnabout is fair play.  😛