SweetPea

These & $#) lights are driving me batty. Note to self: buy a sleep mask for next cruise. I think Brooke Shields recommended one once. One that is nice and big and doubles as a wrinkle relaxer. Or soother or something. Check back episodes of People or US Weekly. Maybe even Good Housekeeping. Or maybe stop trying to remember at 4 frigging 55 am and just Google it later.

Heads up. We ordered the Mac n cheese wedges from the Pub. I thought I took a Pic. I didn't. They are not wedges. They are a runny mac n cheese. They never updated the menu. Do not pay for them, but by all means try them and hate them for free.

I'm told we ordered the nachos at the Pub the first night. I cannot attest if they were good or not. This was also taken on the first night.

Thanks! I agree we should wait till the end to give our gift. I also asked Jesus, our stateroom attendant, about the lights. They can turn them off, but I need to sign a waiver as they are considered emergency lighting on Anthem apparently. I did the bumper cars. Batman and Derick gave me a good ribbing as I tended to avoid everyone. Bumping into people on purpose just seemed impolite.

I'm realizing from my past posts that I might be sounding negative. I don't mean to. We are having a super fantastic time! Thus far, Royal has proven itself a viable alternative to us, whereas before we'd only consider the Haven. I feel I'm more prepared for the lighting and bathroom amenity situation for next cruise. That would be my absolutely only complaint. And if that's the only thing I have to complain about...

What's definitely better on Royal SC than Haven? We sent out pretty much our whole suitcase for pressing on the first day. You simply get to throw it on your couch, and your steward will inventory it for you and send it out. It's awesome. We got our clothes back yesterday. What's also better in SC? Our folio is still 0$.

One more heads up for my Havenites: boy, do I miss the dressing table. There is nothing of the sort in this room. No really well lit place to do your makeup and hair. No magnifying mirror. And if you're driving, I encourage you to bring your own hairdryer. There are no styling tools for the dryer like in the Haven, but it's worse than that. The dryer is a cheap POS where you have to hold down the button for it to blow. My hand is wicked cramped. I apologize for the Haven comparisons, but this is something I'd have loved to have figured out ahead of time. I know a few people following along who are first time SC after being loyal to the Haven, so I felt it worth a mention.

We have become friendly with another Star Class couple. Batman is not wanting to do the bumper cars because he has a bad back to start with. The wife of the other couple has done it once and doesn't feel the need to do it again. So we're doing an episode of Trading Spouses: Bumper Car Edition. After that, this will be our 3rd time doing the Gosling's Rum tour. We have a group of friends who get together and do rum tastings with bottles from our travels. Bottles that are hard to get at home. My sole reason for scheduling this is to buy their 150-proof rum, which may or may not be legal in the States. I think they adjust their label to make it so.... For my Havenites, there is no discount for shorex in Star Class. We did this rum cruise on the Escape last year and paid 68$. On Royal, we paid 110$.

How sweet. Room service apology for being late with this morning's breakfast.

We are docked next to the Gem, a ship we've sailed 3x. Thinking about sneaking aboard for a moment to visit with some crew friends... Or we could just enjoy the weather from our balcony. Either way.

We did North Star this morning. Derick arranged for a private session with our fellow SC guests. Only 8 of us went up. Here is the suite sundeck, with the sunflowers. Not much to do up there besides get some sun.

Ha! I knew what you meant! We got him personalized pens and stationery. Batman thinks we should give it to him now, but I think that's weird. It should come at the end with his tip. Thoughts?

My breakfast is late. I emailed Derick to let him know. In the meantime, here's today's agenda.

I will ask Jesus. This is what our controller looks like. If we select OFF for either living room or bedroom, the stair lights stay on. We've tried all combos as well. If there is a way to do it, it's super super secret!

Side note, we've become very adept at tossing things up into the loft and down into the living room when we're on two separate floors. ? We're up early today. My breakfast is coming in a half hour and then we're doing North Star while we're in Bermuda.

Music Hall drink menu

We, and by we I mean me because Batman can sleep through anything, are having an issue with lighting. As mentioned, you can not turn off the stair lighting. But you also cannot turn on the upstairs bathroom lights without turning on a light outside the bathroom. That's a light that's behind the bed. Between the stair lights and this light, it is way too nightlighty upstairs for someone who usually sleeps with room darkening shades.

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. Rueben.

BTW, Derick only gives WOW bands by request because the bands don't carry any special recognition. We asked for them because Batman holds my card. And I want to open the cabin door by my band ...

Oops. Duplicate. #DayDrinkingTurnedNightDrinking

Zuzu knows I like to keep it classy, even when drinking beer.

Honestly, folks cannot do enough for us. The maitre d' of CK said whatever we wanted, to let him know. FYI, the Genies are Derick, Shane, and Wendy. I would sail Star Class again if the price is right. Especially since NCL is ticking me off... a 5$ upcharge for shrimp cocktail even with the dining package? C'mon!

Update : You cannot turn off the stair lights because it's a safety feature. We asked Derick. He recommended putting beach towels in front of the lights. It's honestly too much of a nightlight for us. Also, the Ribeye in CK tastes and looks more like prime rib.