bossdog421

I booked in September out of Jersey. Very confident we will be sailing.

I booked in September out of Jersey. Very confident we will be sailing.

I'm in Jersey as well. Guessing you went to one of those pop up drive thru test sites.  They should come back sooner than 5 days.
 
As for the salva test, it can technically be done already most places. It's just not a preferred collection method. We can do it but out of the couple hundred tests we've run out of my office we have done exactly zero that way.
 
 

While it may not be the purpose of the board, I often feel like there's a subset of the board who are so nice and supportive that I sometimes feel like sharing 'non-cruise' things, too.  I hope you remain feeling well!

Good luck!
 
The test isn't that bad, same as a flu test. Result times vary depending on the lab. Instant tests are not common place yet. Our turn around is 24 -72 hours for nasal swabs currently. 5-10 days is on the very long side of things.  What state are you in?
 
Antibody test has been steady at 24 hours but that's a blood test and not helpful until weeks after you are done being sick.
 
 

Seems like a star class worthy request right there!

Seems like a star class worthy request right there!

Yes, I know the interview...but again, I have not heard anything about people actually requesting that.  Personally for me, that would be sort of awkward lol.

There was a discussion on here a while back about asking a Genie to unpack.  The general consensus was that, while they MAY be willing to do that, it would almost certainly put the Genie in an uncomfortable position.  I know I would not be comfortable asking someone to go through my personal things and put them away.  How would I know where he/she put my "stuff" ?  I would spend the whole week looking my things.  Personally, I would never, never, ever ask a Genie to do this. 
The closest thing I've ever done to this was to ask my attendant to bring some [hanging] laundry up and put it into my closet upstairs.  It had been delivered and put into a closet down stairs. After that, the attendant always brought the clean laundry upstairs.  My guess is, some people do NOT want the attendant upstairs or inside their closets, so they (attendant) default to putting clean laundry in the downstairs closet.  After I asked him (in my case) to bring it up, it was always brought up, after that.  The unlimited laundry perk of Star Class is one of the most overlooked but most awesome things about Star Class.  Unlike Wash 'N' Fold, when you are SC, they bring everything (except underwear) back on hangers, nicely pressed and tidy.  There is no limit on how much/often you send your laundry out.  What a GREAT service.
One thing that is not on the normal "tour list" is a Central Park garden tour.  Ask your Genie (if you're interested) if he/she can get the ship's horticulturist to give you a personal tour of the garden.  It was fascinating when we did it a couple of years ago.  We were on Harmony and we were lucky enough to have Laszlo Turos, the horticulturist who has designed and overseen the installation of all of the Oasis class CP gardens, give us the tour.  He showed us all of the watering system, the maintenance shed, all of the tools they use and told us why certain plants are chosen for certain areas and lots of little tidbits of information.  He literally spent hours with us as it is very obvious that he loves his job.  My guess is he is on Symphony now but you never know !!
Sabrina is correct...they no longer (if they ever did) allow anyone inside the engine room.  I was disappointed when we took our All Access tour a few years ago as this was the one place I was really interested in seeing.  They did allow us to look through a viewing portal into the engine room, but we were not allowed physically inside. ...and speaking of the All Access Tour, I strongly recommend it for anyone.  It is a bit pricey (not free to SC, unfortunately) but it is worth it.  I don't think it is as inclusive as it used to be but i really enjoyed it and I use the chef's apron that they gave me as a gift, every single day.
One thing you might want to try (BTW, this would work for anyone with the UDP as well...not just SC) is just popping in to Wonderland for dessert (The World.  YUM !) even if you don't want to have a full meal there.  @Lovetocruise2002 gave me this idea.  It never occurred to me that I would want to eat dinner at one restaurant and dessert at another.  I am NOT a fan of the "other" food at Wonderland, but I always wanted to try The World so I asked the Genie to make a dessert-only reservation at Wonderland around 8PM and we just popped in to share a World and popped back out.  It was very decadent.

So I wonder is it a fairly common request to have the genie unpack for you? My wife may want to do hers herself but I'm going to have some things that need to be pressed and I am awful at putting away clothes.
 
Are there any other tours? Been on the bridge, looking forward to a gally tour and behind the scenes of the shows... what about engine room?
 
Any super secret things I should be asking for?

I had the wow band in January on Harmony. Loved it, not a single problem anywhere. Biggest issue i had with them is they wanted us to take them off on the waterslides which was inconvenient .
 
Pro tip. Wear it upside down ( the circular  side on the bottom of your wrist) for easy scanning at the bars. This way you dont have to contort your hand every time you get a drink. Slightly harder to get into the room wearing it like this but i was getting drinks way more than going in and out of my room.
 
As for the getting drink for your partner, i had varied results with getting drinks for my wife. I found that at my 2 main bars after the first day they were fine giving me 2 drinks without having her band. Those 2 bars would see me going and get my drinks started before i even ordered some times too, the had me pegged because im a creature of habit.At the poolside bar Morning was a mudslide for me and a bloodymary for the wife, afternoon was a kraken lava flow, night time was a beer. If i was going a drink run i just had her give me her band just in case. They come on and off easy.

I had the wow band in January on Harmony. Loved it, not a single problem anywhere. Biggest issue i had with them is they wanted us to take them off on the waterslides which was inconvenient .
 
Pro tip. Wear it upside down ( the circular  side on the bottom of your wrist) for easy scanning at the bars. This way you dont have to contort your hand every time you get a drink. Slightly harder to get into the room wearing it like this but i was getting drinks way more than going in and out of my room.
 
As for the getting drink for your partner, i had varied results with getting drinks for my wife. I found that at my 2 main bars after the first day they were fine giving me 2 drinks without having her band. Those 2 bars would see me going and get my drinks started before i even ordered some times too, the had me pegged because im a creature of habit.At the poolside bar Morning was a mudslide for me and a bloodymary for the wife, afternoon was a kraken lava flow, night time was a beer. If i was going a drink run i just had her give me her band just in case. They come on and off easy.

Today is my quarantined 40th birthday...
 
Looking back it was 2 years ago on my birthday that we went on our first cruise. It was on Disney Dream. I have to say that vacation was the best vacation i ever had. Everything was perfect. Now I'm hooked on cruising.
 
I'm not going to blast this blog with pics from a different cruise but there is one picture from my birthday 2 years ago on the ship that stands out. My wife ordered one of those special ice cream things that had like 100 scopes and the concierge brought it up to the lounge.  It was great. here's a pic with our concierge and suite lounge bartender
 

Thanks! Got my bday cake and some benihana takeout.
 
Pretty nice bday concedering  not able to go anywhere
 

Thanks!
 
Kinda funny that i posted that gif about noone signing my birthday poster. Came home early today and there is a birthday poster on my front door that people are coming over to sign lol.
 
The wife also put 40s all over the house... just wait til her 10th anniversary of her 30th birthday happens...
 
 

Today is my quarantined 40th birthday...
 
Looking back it was 2 years ago on my birthday that we went on our first cruise. It was on Disney Dream. I have to say that vacation was the best vacation i ever had. Everything was perfect. Now I'm hooked on cruising.
 
I'm not going to blast this blog with pics from a different cruise but there is one picture from my birthday 2 years ago on the ship that stands out. My wife ordered one of those special ice cream things that had like 100 scopes and the concierge brought it up to the lounge.  It was great. here's a pic with our concierge and suite lounge bartender
 

Itinerary
Cape Liberty – Cruising – Port Canaveral - Perfect Day at CocoCay - Nassau – Cruising – Cape Liberty
 
So, there are 2 negatives with this itinerary. First, it is the exact same ports as the cruise we booked next year. Second, we have been to all the ports already too. Both are not deal breakers by any means though.
 
We used to live in Florida and the in-laws live there. We can still see them without them being there for the entire vacation! Win win! Still not sure what we are going to do in FL just yet, Space Coast or Disney most likely. Florida is somewhere we try to go every year, so this port makes a ton of sense. The stop at CocoCay may as well be an entirely new port to us. We had an overwater cabana when we were there Feb 1st and did not explore any other area outside of the beach club. Seems like the kind of place I wont mind going to multiple times, next year my daughter should be big enough to enjoy the waterpark too. Nassau is a different beast though. I did not enjoy it when we went before. We just walked to the straw market and I felt unsafe and harassed in a tourist trap. I think the plan this time is to do a day pass at Atlantis, my daughter will enjoy the aquariums and a resort is a more comfortable place to me. Being there next year could be an issue but we could always do a tour or something, plenty more to see.
 
 
Stateroom
The Ultimate Panoramic Suite - Stateroom# 14528 – A new star class suite that was added with the Oasis of the Seas amplification. It is a starboard side stateroom located in the forward section of the ship that offers amazing 200 degree panoramic views right from your bed. A 914 sqft stateroom is going to provide a ton of space to stretch our legs. We’ll also get plenty of exercise since its pretty far from the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen… Hope our genie has been keeping in shape during the lock down because the 2  Ultimate Panoramic Suites are the only star class staterooms that aren’t in the Aft of the ship as far as I know.
 

 
These suites are located directly above the bridge wings. Which is what gives them the panoramic views. There are not a lot of write ups on these suites, I’m excited to post of pictures and details of something that isn’t well documented yet! (I loved being one of the first people in an overwater cabana after they opened. I’d like to think I did a good job documenting that experience!)
 
Here is the floorplan of the suite from @Matt first look blog about the suite.
 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/10/30/first-look-the-ultimate-panoramic-suite-oasis-of-the-seas
 
The unfortunate thing is there is no balcony. Good thing the suite deck is just a couple floors directly above us! It should be a fairly quite stateroom since there won’t be a lot above us, not sure if any of the solarium goes directly above this suite. It is kinda close to the kids club but not expecting a lot of noise there either.
 
So that’s it for the opening posts! Can’t wait to get the star class questionnaire! Not sure how much planning I want to leave to the genie… I think I already have my entire weeks specialty dining mapped out.

This board has been a little light since everything has shut down. Since I wasn’t invited to the fake cruise, I figured I’d follow in @Lovetocruise2002  shoes and just start a blog a little early (I mean 5 months will be here in no time).


 
Sorry if this is a bit wordier than the usual. Writing about and planning vacations helps calm me. I have been under an extreme amount of stress at work and this is my mental getaway.


 
The basics!

A 7-night cruise on the recently amplified Oasis of the Seas in the in an Ultimate Panoramic Suite, a new stateroom on the ship!


 
The story!


 
First start class cruise!!!  I hear that it is hard to go back to anything else after going star. I can see that how that happens because I had that issue with suites already. I am ready for the genie and looking forward to some food comas!

 
For those that did not follow along with my last blog. I was on Harmony in January staying a Crown Loft for my 10 year anniversary. (might as well plug my blog from that one! https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/17626-we-still-do-%E2%80%93-vow-renewal-on-harmony-12620-%E2%80%93-2220/ ).  We had a blast and booked a next cruise on board. That next cruise isn’t this cruise (oh boy I might be addicted to Royal Caribbean, cruising seems to be my new preferred vacation type!). The cruise in January ended with a big scare, we were docked next to Anthem in San Juan and it was quarantined when it returned due to a Covid scare. Pretty sure@WAAAYTOOO   was affected by that delay. I got pretty sick about 2 weeks after that cruise, but testing was not very available at the time.  Seems fairly common to catch something on a cruise even if there isn’t a global pandemic happening.


 
I work in healthcare, so I’m no stranger to health issues. Every single day since I have been back has been nonstop and has gotten progressively more stressful. I am just completely exhausted and I need another vacation for sure… So I started looking at cruise! I was floored by how low some of the prices were… I mean it’s understandable that there is a lot of uncertainty right now, so booking vacations isn’t on a lot of people’s radar at the moment. I had my eye on a July cruise for a similarly great deal, while I am confident we will be more back to “normal” by then it’s just too close to take the chance. A September sailing provides us with a bit more peace of mind even though we will be pulling our daughter out of school again. September this year gives us another reason to celebrate to!  It is my wife’s birthday, and it is a big one! She preferred that I called it the 10th anniversary of her 30th birthday ?. We are going to celebrate my 40th on board too even though it is this week. My birthday is cancelled due to social distancing ☹


 
This time things will be different. First, it’s just me, my wife, and my daughter. No in-laws or other friends coming with us. This is going to be a good and bad thing. The good side is we will be able to take advantage of our suite and star class perks more since we wont have to worry about our other travel mates that are in different cabin categories (no MDR this cruise!). I also don’t have to share my wife and kid, making memorable vacations with just the 3 of us is extremely important to me. The bad side is that our daughter won’t have any friends on board. We are really hoping that she takes to the kids club this time. Second difference is, we are leaving from Jersey! No flight, no hotel needed, just an Uber or a friend to drop us off and we are on board! Third, Star class baby!!! So excited for this! Nothing wrong with sky class at all, but yeah… STAR CLASS!

Thanks! Got my bday cake and some benihana takeout.
 
Pretty nice bday concedering  not able to go anywhere
 

Thanks! Got my bday cake and some benihana takeout.
 
Pretty nice bday concedering  not able to go anywhere
 

Thanks! Got my bday cake and some benihana takeout.
 
Pretty nice bday concedering  not able to go anywhere
 

Thanks!
 
Kinda funny that i posted that gif about noone signing my birthday poster. Came home early today and there is a birthday poster on my front door that people are coming over to sign lol.
 
The wife also put 40s all over the house... just wait til her 10th anniversary of her 30th birthday happens...
 
 

Thanks! Got my bday cake and some benihana takeout.
 
Pretty nice bday concedering  not able to go anywhere
 

Thanks!
 
Kinda funny that i posted that gif about noone signing my birthday poster. Came home early today and there is a birthday poster on my front door that people are coming over to sign lol.
 
The wife also put 40s all over the house... just wait til her 10th anniversary of her 30th birthday happens...
 
 

Today is my quarantined 40th birthday...
 
Looking back it was 2 years ago on my birthday that we went on our first cruise. It was on Disney Dream. I have to say that vacation was the best vacation i ever had. Everything was perfect. Now I'm hooked on cruising.
 
I'm not going to blast this blog with pics from a different cruise but there is one picture from my birthday 2 years ago on the ship that stands out. My wife ordered one of those special ice cream things that had like 100 scopes and the concierge brought it up to the lounge.  It was great. here's a pic with our concierge and suite lounge bartender