Jax

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

The Pan Pacific is right across the street from the cruise terminal and offers cruise packages. https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pp-vancouver.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=business_listing&utm_campaign=googlemybusiness

My house looks like a bomb went off in it with piles forming everywhere. It has to get worse before it gets better right??? When I said I was investing in new luggage I wasn’t kidding. Lol I was influenced by @Lovetocruise2002to try the Beis mini weekender bag and I am so glad I did! It has such a great design with lots of functional spaces. It will work great with my Monos carry on.

You bet! We love the escape rooms too.

Yup I get it! We are so not a carry on family. It’s actually embarrassing how much luggage we take. Last year Reyd weighed our luggage and let’s just say it was a lot. I expect he will do the same this year just to make his point. I will post the results. Lol I know right! There is a moment of panic until you realize it’s ok. Lol I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for making me feel good about this purchase.

I forgot to mention. We will be using apple air tags again this year in our checked luggage. This is one of my biggest fears but we are on a direct flight with priority luggage so I am keeping good thoughts. I would definitely not handle lost luggage as well as @Lovetocruise2002 Lol

Speaking of luggage, I splurged and purchased Monos luggage for all of us. It’s an investment for sure but the rigorous testing and lifetime guarantee convinced me to give them a try. I am tired of luggage falling apart after a few uses. Some of you may think I am nuts but I purchased the luggage covers . Reviews are mostly favourable but I will report back. I love pretty + functional luggage and really hope the covers work. I decided to purchase a variety of colors so our bags are easily identifiable (navy blue, pink, grey and terracotta). I took a picture of one of the bags with the cover on for those that have no idea what I am talking about. Lol

Anyone else’s furry friends do this when the luggage comes out?

This made me laugh. I may steal this for the rest of the blog lol Oh no! The one thing I actually like about this change to a private star class session is all the spectators that watch the public sessions. It can be a bit nerve wracking. Lindsay got up first attempt and never wiped out. We credit his years of playing hockey. Our 17 year old on the other hand has no interest to try it.

No such thing as failing at genie giving. Cash is king but I thought the cards would be a fun way to give his gift of cash throughout the week. Lol

In other genie news, check out these fun greeting cards I got for Berty! I couldn’t resist throwing in a couple pair of socks. I love the idea of surprising him each day.

Thanks for this idea! Lindsay is my 50+ husband who is more adventurous than our 17 year old son. Lol He has done the flow rider before but the possibility of an injury still lingers in the back of his mind. The staff said that Canadians generally catch on quickly particularly if they played hockey; which Lindsay did. I honestly have no idea if he will attend the star session. Stay tuned!