Jax

Genie news We are sailing at full capacity and the F&B team has requested all star class guests to confirm reservations prior to sailing to give us priority on dining requests. Moving requests once onboard may be difficult. Onboard communication is via What’s App. This will be the first time we use that; previously we have always used Messenger. Confirmed a rough plan for snacks on embarkation day. Harmony doesn’t randomly deliver food to your room; it is by request. I need to forward our lunch requests for embarkation the day before and it will be coordinated with the F&B team. Received information on star class check in & priority baggage handling. Nothing new; basically look for the purple star class banner and do not give your bags to anyone other than the designated star class porter.

Another Christmas Miracle! Our friends Robert & Tammy left Vancouver Island a day early to beat the winter storm impacting them and Seattle. They were able to get on Delta’s direct flight this morning and have just taken off. Such a relief and looking forward to seeing them tonight! Our other friends arrived Sunday and are spending the week in Orlando at Disney. We will see then Saturday. Getting excited to see everyone.

We hit the Keys and Homestead Speedway today. The Speedway was closed but that wasn’t stopping us. Lol Within minutes we are met by security who informs us the track is closed for a private event. We chat for a few minutes, explain we are from Canada and are big NASCAR fans. She lets us go to the track and take pics. Totally unexpected but so so nice. As we made our way to Key Largo we listened to Seminole Wind by John Anderson and Kokomo by the Beach Boys. Great songs, for a great drive. Our last stop was to a swap meet. I don’t know if you guys can relate but when I looked around the parking lot and surrounding area I said “I am not sure we should do this”, “ this doesn’t look safe”, “people are looking at us”. The vehicle in the picture pretty much sums up our experience.

Sounds like 9am but I don’t think they are sticklers. I saw a group arriving this morning as we were leaving.

The answer can vary based on a number of factors including ship, genie and type of request. In our case I mentioned we did not want to incur additional charges for the snacks (I had no special food requests and kept our request simple) and we didn’t require a private bar tender. It ultimately comes down to the ships F&B director. Berty had a good idea of what I wanted from our pre cruise phone call and I left it with him to sort out with the F&B team. Cakes and decorating are pretty standard star class perks.

Still better than back home in Calgary this week. You will be able to pick out the Canadians boarding on Saturday….we will be wearing t shirts and shorts.

Harmony as she leaves Port Everglades today. This was fun! Got to see Beyond too! You tube link attached with video. https://youtu.be/7463OZdxpu0

Good morning from the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort! We are off to a slow start today. The activities director surprised us with a pool side cabana for the day which was perfect for our lazy Sunday. We are waiting on our Walmart order. Planning to hit the sauna shortly. The staff have been outstanding. Any request is actioned quickly. Very happy with the room set up. A twin size bed roll away was delivered complimentary as the sofa bed comfort is questionable for a grown male. Kitchen utensils are available upon request. Very happy with the resort so far.

It is suppose to support circulation, minimize bloating, reduce jet lag, support immunity, replenish electrolytes, and protects against cosmic radiation. This was our first time using. It’s kinda hard to measure its effectiveness but we will definitely use again.

Checking in from our WestJet flight enroute to FLL. We had a crew and baggage delay but surprisingly we only lost an hour or so. Apple AirTags report they are with me. Yay! Life is good! Relaxing with Reyd as we drink our first flight fud. (Another one after 4 hours) Our flight attendant was intrigued so we gave her a pack to try. Tastes like strawberry lemonade. She deserves it as she was the replacement flight attendant reassigned at the last minute for our premium cabin. Random thought. This time next year Reyd will be able to have a beer on our way to Galveston cruise.

3 of us Lol

If I could have I would have created a poll on how much our luggage weighs. Lol This trip packing seemed worse than others. The good news is we remembered Lindsays swim trucks! Total weight 231 pounds of checked

All checked in at the Marriott in Terminal Hotel. The Christmas Vacay is underway! The M Club Lounge was as expected offering a good assortment of canapés. We will be back for breakfast just after 6am. Some snow is expected overnight.

This is what is happening in Calgary the day after we leave.

Saw this posted on our group Facebook page. Yikes, Friday will be here before we know it!

Christmas Miracle I have door magnets!!

We always book the thermal suite and have booked it again on our upcoming cruise on Harmony over Christmas. I will post an update on my experience over on my blog.

Genie news Berty confirmed star class tours include the bridge and galley. I cancelled the shipboard tour purchased through the cruise planner. We prefer a smaller and shorter tour and felt the cost wasn’t worth it. Since tours hadn’t resumed last year on Oasis we are excited for this perk! The Christmas holiday menu for the 24th and 25th are in Jaime’s, Chops and 150 Central Park. This is included for star class but there is an additional charge for guests with the unlimited dining plan. $99.99 pp at Chops and 150 Central Park and $95.99 for Jaime’s. I guess it’s a premium to dine in those restaurants on those nights because the holiday menus have looked identical to the non holiday menu. I received a preliminary entertainment and dining schedule. Berty nailed it We are not eating at Wonderland or doing Chef’s Table. Chops x 2, Jaime’s x 2, 150 Central Park x 1, CK x 1 on filet night, Hibachi x 1. We are hosting our group of friends Night 1 for the Aqua show and Berty is taking care of decorating, the cake and snacks. This is going to be a great way to start our “Christmas vacation”. for the arrival of my magnets! And Lindsay will wear one of his Clark shirts. This was the first time I had a pre cruise phone call with our genie and it has really simplified planning. I am a big fan and wish more genies would do this.

This made me laugh out loud I have ordered lots from Red Bubble over the years and usually the items come quickly but I am waiting on a Christmas miracle for our Christmas Vacation merchandise …. Ordered beginning of November and the package was lost in transit. Replacement package is not looking good to arrive before Thursday. I will be so bummed if my wall merch magnets don’t show up. Ugh

@GregD I am a bit envious about your upcoming cruise on Oasis as we are going to miss Playmakers and Portside BBQ. The boys keep boo hoo’ing about this. Lol Plan B - they found a few good brisket places in the FLL we will check out. I ordered the genie stuff from Red Bubble Canada. They had lots of genie apparel options. My plan is to surprise Berty with a card every day….kind of like the 7 days of Christmas.

Yay for Oasis! I plan to mention the lack of consistency on certain star class benefits between ships on my post cruise survey. (Hopefully I remember lol)

I have never heard of earthing so I am not sure. It sounds like something I would be interested in. The premise behind Dr Ho’s foot system is similar to their other products; to promote circulation and manage pain through electrical impulses. I have included a picture of our at home foot system as it gives a better visual. I agree a sheet may be a hassle; I would worry it would end up in Royals laundry.

Now you have got me curious. Lol If I had any criticism it would be with the way the recent changes to star class perks have been communicated and implemented. Timing of implementation seems to have varied from ship to ship and some guests don’t find out about the changes until they are onboard or in pre cruise communication with their genie. I still don’t know if the changes are fleet wide or vary from ship to ship. I feel for the genies who are trying to deliver an amazing onboard experience for their guests. Fortunately the changes made haven’t been a deal breaker for us. But I understand that’s not the case for everyone.

If you have followed my blogs you know I usually share some of my favourite travel items. This year I am adding Dr Ho’s travel foot pads to the list. We started using the Dr Ho foot therapy system a few months ago and if the travel foot pads deliver similar results, they will be great to treat sore feet when traveling. Items from previous blogs include Dr Ho pain therapy system, the Saje Farmacy pack, Saje hand held diffuser and my travel size My Pillow.

This time next week and we are off to the airport! So much left to do. Mani/pedi/hair appointments are scheduled for next week. Packing continues and will be done this weekend, before the cleaners come on Tuesday. I am still waiting on some “Christmas vacation” themed items to arrive. More on that in a bit but at this point I think I need a Christmas Miracle. Ugh