bossdog421

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!

I'm on oasis in Sept. Staying in UPS, totally asking for a soft pretzel to see what happens.
 
Thanks for the blog! 

I agree there will be likely even more stringent testing/processes for new and returning crew as a condition of employment.  Whether it's a crew member or a guest, Royal (or any line for that matter) can't afford to have anyone board a ship if they're infected or showing symptoms.  The bad press alone would be enough to do some of them in.
I was having a conversation with a friend last night, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the cruise lines at least initially sail with MANY less passengers.  I could see as little as 50-60% potentially over what would normally sail, depending on whatever that "break-even" point is for them.  Whatever that number is, it would not require nearly as many staff as previously needed.  I hate the thought of many crew not being brought back on board, but I think that's going to have to be the way forward for the foreseeable future.

I would imagine for health reasons going forward, crew would have to have completed a medical examination days prior to departing their home, and under go quarantine process once onboard prior to ships resuming a somewhat normal schedule.
Once the quarantine process has been completed, that would give time for crew to train or retrain prior to us boarding.
 

They're going to need a lot less crew for the reduced passenger loads (and some ships likely won't be sailing anyway) so I think there will be enough experienced crew to go around.

I think this is a legitimate concern.  Once ships divest themselves of most of their crew, they will have to re-populate the staff before resuming sailings. Unless they are able to rehire experienced staff that have worked together before, it could be a hodgepodge of inexperienced crew that will need time to become cohesive teams.  Who knows who will be healthy and/or available to come back on board ?  It could be a rocky restart.

From what I've read the crews do pretty long tours on the ships. Some still seem to be on board even as things aren't running.
 
How seemless do you think service quailty will be when things resume? Layoffs and furloughs are likely to effect employee retention. Guess I'm worried there may be a lot of unseasoned crew.
 
Cruise lines are taking huge hits, how they rebound as things open back up will be critical to passenger experiences .

I already read all of  @betatke1480  blog... I'm totally asking for a soft pretzel to see what happens.
 
While i have the attention of a few SC regulars here... I know this question has already been asked but instead of what's included, since it's a large list, what isn't included with SC?

Thanks! We have received tons of local support and have been feeling the love!

Yeah I'm excited. First time booking Star Class! For those that didn't follow along, i was just on Harmony in January for my 10 year wedding anniversary  and did a live blog here it was a blast!  That was our only other RCCL cruise and had a great time in our Sky Class Loft. Gotta say i was totally jealous watching those genies zip around for other groups. I knew i was going to book one just not this soon!  Seeing some of these prices I just couldn't pass up the deal... seriously not even taking into account that i wont need flights this time its about half the cost of my last cruise and it's STAR CLASS and we can now celebrate wifes 4.... i mean 30th birthday! ( i get to celebrate too my 40th is next week but canceled due to covid)
 
This room looks like it's a newer addition as part of the amplification.  It looks amazing. Has anyone here had the opportunity to stay in one of these rooms? Only 2 things are concerning me. First is no balcony. Obviously  this is made up for with the insane views, just a couple floors up and we got the suite deck anyways. Second is how far it is from the suite lounge / the rest of the star class suites. From what i can tell about the deck plans EVERY other star class suite is aft. I have no issues walking across the ship to get to coastal kitchen (i plan on being more #teamCK this time but now i'll have specialty dining included so still going to be limited, no MDR at all this time!)  a couple nights but I'm slightly worried about genie access with it being so disconnected for the rest of the star suites.  Any input on either of those items would be appreciated.
 
I am ready for a vacation! Working in healthcare int he middle of all this craziness is exhausting!  A September sailing seems like a pretty safe bet.
 
@Lovetocruise2002 Too early to start a live blog @ 5 months out?? ? . I upgraded my phone so I plan on taking a ton of pictures again!

WOOHOO !!!!  Love me some Michelle !!
What ship....what suite ?

Awesome news! More detailed information would be great, ship, cruise destination and suite type. 

Awesome, same cruise we are doing. Never been to the ports other than Port Canaveral of course. Looking forward to Coco Cay. We are staying on the ship in Nassau. 

Yeah a guy I work with has been there multiple times on a cruise and he said if you don't have a specific excursion then just stay on the ship. He said its not a place you want to just get off the ship and walk around. I kinda knew that but this was first hand experience. I checked the excursions and nothing jumped out to me and most were very expensive. I never stayed on the ship in port and I think it would be fun to be on the ship with 50% less people. 

Went to Nassau when i was on a Disney cruise, we walked to the straw market. I did not have a good time. I think my daughter would like Atlantis, at least the aquarium, so we'll probably go do that. I found exploring on our own at a strange port that i do not have a lot of fun.
 
I went a bit overboard last time at Coco Cay and was in an overwater cabana. It was great but we didnt get a chance to see a lot of the other parts of the island.  Can't wait to explore more (going to be a lot warmer too)

Thanks! We have received tons of local support and have been feeling the love!

Yeah I'm excited. First time booking Star Class! For those that didn't follow along, i was just on Harmony in January for my 10 year wedding anniversary  and did a live blog here it was a blast!  That was our only other RCCL cruise and had a great time in our Sky Class Loft. Gotta say i was totally jealous watching those genies zip around for other groups. I knew i was going to book one just not this soon!  Seeing some of these prices I just couldn't pass up the deal... seriously not even taking into account that i wont need flights this time its about half the cost of my last cruise and it's STAR CLASS and we can now celebrate wifes 4.... i mean 30th birthday! ( i get to celebrate too my 40th is next week but canceled due to covid)
 
This room looks like it's a newer addition as part of the amplification.  It looks amazing. Has anyone here had the opportunity to stay in one of these rooms? Only 2 things are concerning me. First is no balcony. Obviously  this is made up for with the insane views, just a couple floors up and we got the suite deck anyways. Second is how far it is from the suite lounge / the rest of the star class suites. From what i can tell about the deck plans EVERY other star class suite is aft. I have no issues walking across the ship to get to coastal kitchen (i plan on being more #teamCK this time but now i'll have specialty dining included so still going to be limited, no MDR at all this time!)  a couple nights but I'm slightly worried about genie access with it being so disconnected for the rest of the star suites.  Any input on either of those items would be appreciated.
 
I am ready for a vacation! Working in healthcare int he middle of all this craziness is exhausting!  A September sailing seems like a pretty safe bet.
 
@Lovetocruise2002 Too early to start a live blog @ 5 months out?? ? . I upgraded my phone so I plan on taking a ton of pictures again!

So Michelle at MEI was great. Took care of all of my complicated issues and I'm booked.
 
Star class in 5 months!

Thanks for this thread!
 
I am working with this company now to change a booking i had for next year to this year!
 
Also looks like I'll be doing my first STAR class cruise! ⭐?⭐
 
Don't want to jinx it but i really hope i can get everything transferred smoothly.

Oasis, Jersey- Port Canaveral - Nassau - Coco Cay, Ultimate Panaramic Suite.
 
Gonna be great because we can see the inlaws when we stop in Florida without them cruising with us this time... Not that it was a bad thing last time (?)
 
Been to all 3 ports but plenty to see and do that we haven't done before.

We aren’t huge fans of the Chef’s Table but we have always found the wine to flow rather freely on the few that we’ve attended.  We’re not connoisseurs but I suspect it’s worth the $25 PP charge.

Oasis, Jersey- Port Canaveral - Nassau - Coco Cay, Ultimate Panaramic Suite.
 
Gonna be great because we can see the inlaws when we stop in Florida without them cruising with us this time... Not that it was a bad thing last time (?)
 
Been to all 3 ports but plenty to see and do that we haven't done before.

Oasis, Jersey- Port Canaveral - Nassau - Coco Cay, Ultimate Panaramic Suite.
 
Gonna be great because we can see the inlaws when we stop in Florida without them cruising with us this time... Not that it was a bad thing last time (?)
 
Been to all 3 ports but plenty to see and do that we haven't done before.

That panoramic suite is incredible. You will not miss the balcony unless you want wind in your face.
We were on Oasis for New Years and met Executive housekeeper Name of Leo I believe. Anyways we met him on an elevator.  He asked me if I would like to see that suite.
Leo gives me his phone number to call him at 9am on disembarkation day. We figure he is busy so we rethought it and decided not to call him. At 905 am he walked into the lounge we were having coffee at and says lets go why didn't we call. We were amazed!!
The views are the entire 3 walls of the suite.  You will love it, enjoy!

Pastries from Starbucks
Alcohol above the drink threshold (although I have had the excess $$ waived from time-to-time)
Excursions
Spa treatments.  SC includes 1 days of thermal spa access only but does not include any spa treatments 
Chef’s Table will charge you $25 PP for wine.
Obviously, anything in a retail store.  A single excel here is you can get ice cream at the candy store but not the candy itself.
There’s actually very little that is extra $$.  You will get all of the water, beer and soft drinks (including energy drinks) you want brought to your suite but you must pay for bottles of wine or liquor.  You can get individual wine and liquor drinks brought to your suite at no cost unless they exceed the drinks package threshold. We don’t bother with this as it is just more enjoyable for us to go to a bar or restaurant and order whatever we want....but you can do it if you want.