Jax

Our genie on HM had Hawaiian pizza delivered but we later found out it was because he made a special request for it. Otherwise it is not available. The backstory was our non star class friends kept saying they couldn’t get Hawaiian pizza onboard and we kept saying we could. We later found out our genie used his genie powers to make this happen.

At least your times have improved. Over Xmas the start time was either 8 or 8:30, I can’t remember. It’s funny how some details fade.

I had the same issue uploading pics at Xmas. Especially if uploading more than one pic per post.

I received this toiletry bag along with several other matching pieces (tote, back pack and some zippered pouches) over our Xmas sailing. Our toiletry bag had an assortment of shower/bath products in it. It arrived Xmas eve but I never knew who it came from. I chalked it up to a secret Santa gift. I agree with your review, but we used the back pack on our excursions.

Looks pretty good. Menu selection is way better than Westjet …. I have not been impressed with Westjet’s in flight menu for some time.

And Teens just in case

I have all 7 days of the cruise compass from HM over Christmas 2022. No idea if they change every cruise but here is Day 1. Let me know if you would like me to upload any of the other days.

FWIW, we received paper copies of the cruise compass on HM in December.

We like Miami Intercontinental.

Hopefully the temps aren’t too cold and it will be a wet snow that melts quickly. This is so stressful; I hope you all get to Florida tomorrow. What’s up with this March weather; we are under a full winter storm/ snowfall warning here starting tomorrow with up to 20cm expected and lows of -22. Ugh I am ready for spring

Just catching up now. I can’t believe your annual “my birthday week cruise” is almost here. Haha One day soon I am going to be onboard with you . This year I will be following along from Vegas so it’s not so bad.

Right! It was way closer to shore than I would have imagined possible. I just love this picture of the guys watching Harmony. One of my favs Haha, so true! The excitement at boarding never gets old does it. I agree, it was my worst nightmare too. And I went in with very reasonable expectations having been there the Christmas prior knowing amenities were basic and the experience is watching the planes. It’s really too bad they have let the beach conditions deteriorate so much and the overselling was awful. Haha. I hear ya. Not surprising, we didn’t spend a dime at the casino. Are you sure this wasn’t me! I was the same with the added challenge of refusing to touch the handrails.

It’s about 45 minutes each way; possibly longer depending on traffic. (Which can be bad)

I am just catching up! Harmony had a slightly different policy…no food unless requested but like you, we were ok with that. I’m not a fan of random food being left in our suite.

We went to Maho Beach over Christmas 2023 and the experience fell way short of expectations based on our visit the year before. The excursion was oversold, beach overcrowded and badly eroded resulting in 2 tiers with a sharp drop and the tour operator had numerous short comings. Our genie had the shore excursion manager contact me who promised to speak to the tour operator to address the deficiencies and offered a partial refund.

Looking for any recent experiences on the Mr Sanchos Beach Club in Cozumel. Specifically the quality of amenities and food provided with the day pass along with any over crowding issues. I would love any feedback on the following add ons: Wave runner ATV tour Parasailing

Yes reviews are consistently very good. I booked it so will report back.

Yes you should not have to worry about specialty dining times. We have never purchased any specialty dining through the cruise planner ahead of time; our genie has taken care of this for us including hibachi and we have always been happy with our dining times. Some report that their genie has requested they pre purchase Hibachi but we have not experienced this. More flexibility in your dining times may be needed for Hibachi. Once we ate at 5:30 vs our preferred dining time of 6pm and another time at 7pm. Both worked out perfectly as our genie scheduled us for shows that worked well with the dining times. We always cruise Christmas week and there tends to be more changes to the entertainment than on other sailings. Essentially these changes become your genies problem to sort out; not yours. This is something I really appreciate as it could get overwhelming to try to rebook specialty dining to coincide with the revised show schedule during full capacity.

We have only cruised Star with Royal so for me the genie is important because I have no idea how to do what they do! LOL Could I figure it out with concierge if we sailed sky class; yes, but I think I would be disappointed in the lack of flexibility and perks like laundry, specialty dining delivery to the suite, fully stocked mini bar, someone to get Bingo tickets and bypass lines. Basically I would resume genie duties for my family and having a genie is one of the perks I like most about star class. I wished the program was more consistent fleetwide and feel Royal needs to do better at delivering the “ all inclusive” experience they advertise. The recent changes to some perks are silly; why take away a $34.99 perk or priority access to certain activities. It’s petty and annoys people more than anything. As others have said the genie is a personal thing; each brings their own style and personality and you may click with one more than another. Our first experience was not good but others that followed were excellent. Whether star class is worth it for you comes down to intangibles. I am not sure the cost can ever be justified solely on price. Even with some of the recent changes I am still #teamstarclass.

No worries. This topic fascinates me. Before this year I received emails at the expected timeframes. It’s so strange. Lol

My cruise compass from Christmas week on Harmony show open play pickle ball most mornings in the sports court. Didn’t see anything about tournaments.

Updating details of our private land tours while in FLL for future reference. (Because I know I will not remember the details) Private Waterway Tours provided a 1.5 hour private tour for 5 people. Cost $220 Private Airboat Tour of Everglades at Sawgrass Recreation Park for 5 people. 1 hour. $385

Would appreciate any first hand experience with this excursion over and above what is listed in the cruise planner. Curious about travel time, crowding, food quality, resort amenities, condition of resort and beach.

You have so much to look forward to! I always get excited for the Genie questionnaire and assignment. Happy cruising!

We did a bridge and galley tour on HM 2 weeks ago and no one was required to wear masks. A friend did the all access ship tour on the same sailing and was not required to wear a mask.