Royalnewbie96

Yes I could not believe it when I saw it; very excited. 

I think I will enjoy this room way more, and for such a change in the upgrade cost I couldn't say no!

Woohoo!! Deck 17!! That was the room we had but on Harmony.

and the plot thickens...... 
Today, for fun, I decided to take a look at what was available for suites on our sailing. I noticed that the Star Loft Suite 1722 (the one we were originally booked before changing to aquatheare) had plummeted by $3500! It now only costed 400 more per person (3 of us going) to upgrade and this seemed like a no brainer, so now we are going to the highly coveted 17th floor! so so so excited!!! Will keep everyone in the loop once we get a little closer. We have booked a suite in the 1 Hotel South Beach for 3 nights prior to sailing!

Sunil will likely still be on because he just got back mid-July and they usually have 5 month rotations (unless they get extended).  Not sure when Reyno and Berty are leaving.  But Andre will be back by the end of September so that means one of them will be off.  And Marla left when Sunil came back and going with their usual 6-8 week vacation time, she should be back by the end of September.  Sunil said she was coming back when we last saw him at the end of July.  If I had to guess, I would guess Sunil, Andre, and Marla.  That group is fantastic.

hahaha the excitement is killing me - at least if I post here, I don't annoy the people who are going with me so much that they won't want to come lol 

I found the first day to be particularly hectic (compared to non-Star class) but after that, I did not notice too many interruptions other than room service delivery.

I just want to call out @Matt and @Lovetocruise2002; we now have a new leader in the "head start" for live blogs -- this thread was started 53 days before sail date!!
C'mon, you two, quit slacking! ??
 
@Royalnewbie96, definitely appreciate your enthusiasm for this! I know it's really early to say, but have a great cruise!

I find the questionnaire to be absurd and a waste of time for the most part.  The only parts that make any sense to fill out are the ones about what I like to eat and drink and the kinds of hours I like to keep.  Most of the time I don't think the Genie even reads them although I have read of a few people who believe that they do.
I'm sure you've "heard" me say this before but one aspect of Star Class that I do NOT enjoy are the constant interruptions.  They seem to be knocking, ringing, calling every five seconds for one thing or another - particularly at the beginning of the cruise.  One of the comments that I made to Yen on our last SC cruises was to please try and minimize the interruptions and I don't know what she did, but it worked !  We had almost no interruptions that first day.  It's so important just to relax and unwind and if you have to be popping up every few minutes it's just not relaxing at all.  That is particularly true in the 2-story suites when you are upstairs trying to take a nap or just relax and someone knocks on the door.  We got to where we didn't even answer.  We just let them either come on in or turn away and leave.  People will often remark, "it doesn't matter what kind of room I have b/c I don't spend much time there".  That really isn't true when you are in a big suite.  You WANT to be there and spend time there intentionally.  It's just nice to have some privacy.  You don't always get that with SC.

hahaha the excitement is killing me - at least if I post here, I don't annoy the people who are going with me so much that they won't want to come lol 

hahaha the excitement is killing me - at least if I post here, I don't annoy the people who are going with me so much that they won't want to come lol 

Got my royal genie questionnaire today! For those of you who have never seen the questionnaire I have attached photos! I had a lot of fun trying to come up with some of the answers! 

Little French Key is insanely popular and has amazing reviews. I am booked to go on my October 12th sailing. 

A royal genie is basically an "assistant" of sorts to people staying in top suites. They help plan your vacation and make sure you get the most out of you RCI cruise. 

My first ever cruise and we are going all out! Me, my best friend and her sister are going on Symphony of the seas on October 12/ 2019! We are staying in a 2 Bedroom Aquatheatre Suite and are so excited to see what this trip has to offer! I will be keeping everyone up to date here! 

I actually prefer the ATS 2BR over the 17th floor rooms.  I love the wrap around balcony and being able to watch the shows.  I didn't find it noisy at all.  We were on the 8th floor and the balcony immediately outside of the master bedroom looks directly out at the ocean and you can't even see the aquatheater from right there.  Then you walk around the corner and you have that wake view..and then even further around the balcony there is a bar-top height seating area that you can sit and watch the aquatheater shows and practices.  The rock wall is right there at the end of the balcony, and that was fun to watch but it does make the aquatheater side of the balcony not completely private.  However with the doors shut you really don't hear any of that inside the cabin.
The views from the loft suites and the huge two-story window is pretty amazing, but I think the ATS is amazing as well..but just for different reasons.
The biggest drawback is that are you aren't right there by the Coastal Kitchen/Suite Lounge so it isn't as convenient to pop over there.  Some folks also feel they do miss that exclusivity of the 17th floor, but that's not really my thing at all.

I have stayed in both rooms and I think you will love the ATS especially if you are on deck 8. My primary objection is the walk all the way aft. It is a LONG way back there. But the views and the balcony are second to none.  There is some exterior noise in the ATS during performances but it’s not excessive and I find the activity of the ATS very exciting. Your reasoning about having a second bedroom is sound. It’s much nicer to have a private bedroom (even though it is small) than to have a made up couch downstairs. I don’t know if you’re considering having a party but there is nothing as impressive as a deck party from the ATS. The Star Loft is impressive but does not come close to the WOW factor of the ATS.  We choose deck 17 now for the convenience but we have never regretted out cruises from the ATS (3)