Minicruiser

Thank you so much for this amazing review! So full of information and you ( and others) always answered questions which was very much appreciated for a newbie! What an amazing vacation for you and your family!

So what did we think of Star Class overall?
Well, if you have not picked up on it yet, we simply loved it!  And I knew it and you all knew it, I am most definitely spoiled for all other cruises from this point onwards.
I am completely in love with not only SC, but Deck 17 itself. I need to find my way back the the “gated community” somehow. There is something indescribable about these lofts, the high ceilings, the two bathrooms, the open and airy feel of the room, these are the things I love about the loft.  The location to CK and the SL for these rooms is also so convenient.  Nothing beats that!  And the hallways are extra wide up here.
Hopefully a few months in dry dock will condition us for our JS on Anthem GC in July. 
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, there are many types of cruisers and you have to know which category you fall under. We know what “type” we are and what is important to us. For us, the perks of SC are worth it, given the right price. The room is also worth it because we spend a lot of time in our cabin. 
What did we get the most use of from our perks?  
Specialty dining for sure. We tried almost everything that we possibly could. I am afraid to step on the scale Monday morning. The kids also made very good use of the in-room specialty dining. They only ate with us 3 out of the 7 nights. The rest, they ordered in from specialty.  Also, as I stated before, the reserved seating is a big deal for us because we are show people. The girls are too. So having that perk was awesome. Only once did we get questioned about why “those seats” were saved for us.  Araceli had a great explanation for them and she explained it ever so kindly. We also could not resist putting our two cents in. 
We lucked out big time with Araceli. She is so personable and kind. Her smile does not ever fade. We have exchanged well over 100 emails back and forth since her first contact. She is amazing with communicating!  Never did a dinner go by where she did not come in to check on us. During the day, she would either come to find us or email me to check in if we needed anything. So thankful too that we have had the opportunity to sit down with her for some conversations and get to know her as a person. She is simply wonderful!  Going to miss her for sure! 
Early start for us tomorrow so I will end off here.  I will update from the airport to comment on the walk off.  

Some more pics from this afternoon:

This afternoon we had the Bridge tour. Again, Star Class had their own session and Araceli accompanied us the whole time. Pics will be later on this as it is on Hubby’s camera.
We asked Araceli to stop by just before the tour to give her this:


I am hoping that she liked it.
Trying to find every excuse possible right now to not pack. Dinner is later at Jamie’s again. That’s all for now. 

Since I have some time this morning, it might be a good opportunity to make some stray observations at this point. 
You are treated differently when they see the card or when they realize that you are SC.

- The first indication of this was Day 1 at CK. I mentioned to the host that we like the tables by the window. When we arrived that evening for dinner, the place was packed but there was a table for 4 empty for us in the exact same spot that I mentioned.
- By Day 3 in Labadee, I had yet to meet or chat with Mohamed and Elaine, the concierges in the suite lounge. Upon coming across them at Barefoot Beach, they both greeted me by name. I was so impressed. Mohamed even made mention that I had sailed HM prior to this and that was the first ever conversation that I had with him.  He was on vacation when I was here last.  Both of these concierges are great. Since Labadee, we have had many wonderful conversations.
- Captain Gus personally called us to check in on how things were going. 
- So far, every dinner, at every restaurant, except for Hibachi, we have received a window seat. Coincidence? Not sure?
- As we strolled through Central Park a few nights ago, we ran into an officer who we did not recognize. He greeted us by name. 
- Last night at 150, we had a great waiter from the start. 2/3 of the way through the meal, Araceli showed up to check on us and our waiter was there as well. After she left, it is hard to describe, but service went up another notch and again, he started addressing us by name when he did not before.
Just a few of the things that have stood out to me so far and I wanted to note them before I forget. 
Another thing to note is how amazing this CK staff is. We knew that already from the last time we sailed HM but we were not sure what to expect this time as we knew that many of them were headed to start up SY.  Two waiters here, Elmer and Rico, we recognized from the last time and they knew us right away when they saw us!  Great memory and stand up service from both, even when we are not at their tables. A few days ago, the girls woke up late and they could not get a table in CK. The host had a waiting list about 10 people long. Elmer saw us waiting, came up to us and took their orders and personally brought it to our room!  No words to describe that type of service! Simply WOW!

The snacks on the couch were a total surprise from Araceli. The kids noted on their pre-cruise survey that they liked Doritos (none of the ship; only Lays regular) and chocolate bars.
Towel animals courtesy of our awesome stateroom attendants Rohan and his assistant Pagi.
I could be wrong, but I don’t believe that any Izumi has a separate bar.

We stopped by the room before the ice show to find more surprises from Araceli waiting.


The towel animal zoo is growing nicely.

This was the “special delivery”...from Araceli ❤️

Off to get ready for dinner!

After lunch we spent time at the Beach pool and water slides. 


Cheers @Matt!

What kids are????

What kids are????

This is seriously the best blog ever. So glad I found this right before my SC cruise. Thanks for all the info. Your kids especially crack me up. Was wondering about wonderland and kids. Love the dessert idea!  Meanwhile I finally heard fro, our genie, Alina. I sent back a zillion questions and think I scare her off. It’s been silence for two days since. ? ?

My kids are not adventurous eaters. 
@CGTLH and @AshleyDillo just had Alina a few months ago.

This is seriously the best blog ever. So glad I found this right before my SC cruise. Thanks for all the info. Your kids especially crack me up. Was wondering about wonderland and kids. Love the dessert idea!  Meanwhile I finally heard fro, our genie, Alina. I sent back a zillion questions and think I scare her off. It’s been silence for two days since. ? ?

Star Class kid problems...
D10: I don’t want to eat at Park Cafe with you, I want to eat Sorrentos and go swimming. 
Me: Ok. Sorrentos isn’t open yet. Call Araceli and ask for a pizza to be delivered from room service. I’m going to the suite lounge. (Leave the room)
D12: (Picks Up the phone) Araceli, can we get 3 slices of pizza? 
(Hubby in the background...”Get a full pizza cause room service comes in a box.”)
D12: Ok, Araceli can we get a full pizza?
Araceli: So 3 pizzas?
D12: (Still thinking of Sorrentos slices) Yes, 3 pizzas.
1/2h later... ?

They ate 3 slices ??‍♀️

Dinner Night 3: Chops
Tonight marks the first night that we have ever dined at Chops on any cruise.  I went tonight with a mission in mind.  You all know that I am #teamCK and one of the things that I love the most there is the Filet on Night 1. I have also heard good things about the Filet at Chops. I figure that if I am going to continue to promote CK to @Matt and get those shirts made, then I better check out the competition. 
The girls decided long ago that they were not interested at all in eating at Chops so Araceli asked what they wanted for dinner, they chose Wonderland.  Our Perfect Day in Labadee turned into a nice “date night” for Hubby and I. From Wonderland, the kids picked the “Popcorn Chicken with Vegetables”, “Crispy Mac & Cheese fries”, and a side of cherry tomatoes. Here is the series of texts that I received through dinner: 
???

Popcorn Chicken:

Mac & Cheese fries:

Cherry tomatoes:

And condiments were a bust too as they could not figure out how to open them ?
Meanwhile over at Chops....100% wonderful dinner both in service and quality!
Drink Menu:


Dinner Menu:


Ceasar Salad:
(Side note...that Lavender Tonic in the background was delicious!)

Bacon:

Grilled Tofu (personal favourite from CK that I had delivered):

Seafood Tower: delicious, just as many have described.

6oz. Filet Mignon

Sides: Mac & Cheese, Truffle fries, Creamy Spinach, Tater tots

Interesting thing happened tonight at Chops. We ran into the CK manager that we met back in 2017 when we last sailed Harmony. Turns out he received a promotion since we last saw him in 2017 and he is now the speciality restaurant manager on board Harmony. He came to check in on us towards the end of dinner and what a perfect time to bring up my research mission tonight. He asked me what my verdict was and I mentioned to him that I thought CK has a better cut of meat (more tender) but Chops has better flavour. He told me that the cuts of meat are supposedly the same in both restaurants. So, not 100% sure of who I give the edge to. They are very comparable  but I still think I prefer the filet at CK slightly over Chops. Nevertheless, we had a fantastic meal tonight!
The bill was even more fantastic!

Put it on the genie list ?

Day 3: Labadee
Gorgeous day in Labadee today! Lots of sun and not too hot. D10 was in the water almost the entire time and D12 made full use of the cabana. Originally we had a beachfront booked (B2) but switched to an over the water one (W5). Best choice ever! Clear view of the ship, clear view of the D10 in the water and on the beach. And fairly private. I will let the pictures do the talking.
Entry into the Cabana:




Separate entry into the water via a ladder. The other OTW cabanas on the other side have stairs.


And so that @twangsterbot doesn’t have to photoshop me into Labadee anymore, and @rjac requested so nicely.... ?

Yes. They can be included but I am assuming they would have to pay. Minimum is 6 players; unsure of the max?

This looks so fun and I love that the younger kids got to participate!! I think escape rooms are great for kids! How many people does the room hold? Our total travel group is 16. I’m wondering if the genie would let us book our private session with our non-SC friends if they paid. ?  Or maybe just add in a few of them and not the whole bunch? 

Breakfast on the balcony this morning. This is how I want to start every day...


Off to meet Araceli now for Labadee. Bye for now.

Back to yesterday afternoon before VOOM went wonky....
Araceli booked us a private escape room session with 2 other Star class families that we met a year ago. The story of our meeting is too long to explain but it would make a great story for a group cruise.  Anyway, we booked it private because we all have kids under 12 and we wanted them to come. Normally the minimum age limit is 14 to participate. 
You begin by watching a video outside of Adventure Ocean:

After the video, you proceed into the actual room:

No photography allowed inside sorry. You get 60 minutes to look for and solve a series of puzzles. It was not the easiest. Turns out some of the kids were very helpful.  This was our result in the end...

Even Star Class can’t get you out in time ?
And yes, we asked if we could call our Genies and they said no ?
Back into the cabin to get ready for dinner and an Insider messaged me to ask me to do a speed test. 

It was literally right after this when VOOM became doomed ?

@Minicruiser...exactly as @AshleyDillo described, you can order as much specialty as you want and invite anyone you want.
We are having the best time ever! How could we not? But we have barely left Deck 17! ?
Seafood tower and hibachi are coming in the next few days.
Cannot take credit for the pics. All Hubby ?
Grease did not have the same cast as 2017 and we are having a hard time deciding if we liked the cast here this time or on Indy more. 
Enjoy LaBamba! Don’t forget to have a fried ice cream and think of me back at work. ??

This is really helpful, thank you! One family is Sky class and we don’t plan to ever ask for the third family to join us in CK or the lounge. They do have the key though, so that helps a bit. The only thing we were hoping for is some help moving some times for existing reservations that we’ve booked for the 6 adults that aren’t ideal times.  
Neither group is big. 4 in each family. We are the biggest group with 8 of us in our suite. DH, me and all the kids. It’ll be a bit chaotic for our genie regardless. ?
I’m assuming if we order food in our cabin it’s ok to have the non suite family there, though? Since we have the deck 8 ATS, we plan to hang out on our balcony one night. 

No. It was just @bellemiche and another family. Very informal.
Trying to have that discussion with Hubby right now ?
Star class is way better. The benefits far exceed DCL concierge benefits. And about travelling with non-SC guest..see what @WAAAYTOOO described above. That is the general consensus from what I know. It is also dependent on your Genie.