Jax

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!

We would actually prefer the session later on the last sea day just in case of an injury. Not sure Lindsay and Reyd want to risk an injury on our first sea day. Lol We are really looking forward to these tours, especially the bridge tour as we missed them last year on Oasis. It will be a highlight for us! Reality is setting in that we only have a few more Christmas’s with Reyd in High School so we are making the most of them.

This always makes me happy I just realized we have never sailed on this low of a deck. Curious if we will notice a change. Tags purchased from Amazon.ca

I understand how you feel. Maybe if enough star class guests express their dissatisfaction over losing this perk on their post cruise survey, the policy may be reconsidered. I only know that this is the policy is for Harmony; it may be different on other ships. And the change only affects the flowrider; the other activities such as rock climbing continue to offer priority access during the scheduled times.

That’s so great! Lindsay’s apparel is quite fashionable compared to that beauty. Lol

Yup, that is a good reminder as some may assume what’s happening on Harmony is happening elsewhere. That is often not the case so it’s best not to set expectations based on one persons experiences with a genie or ship.

Agreed. Lindsay may have been tempted to try it again on day 6 or 7 but doesn’t want to risk an injury on day 2 of the cruise. So we may skip it altogether. I am not sure if this change is fleet wide on Oasis and Quantum ships. Have u heard anything about it on your upcoming star class cruise?

Random news I have learned a few interesting things from Berty. Often on holiday cruises entertainment schedules were not finalized until just a few days before your sailing. The entertainment schedule is now fixed fleet wide 30 days in advance of your cruise date. Copy attached. A second Aqua show will be added on Nights 5,6 & 7 providing there are no delays with The Fine Line Aqua Show on Nights 1-4. I don’t think this is new but it is new to me. Star class bridge and galley tours have resumed on Harmony. Escape Room is non operational. Star class priority access to flow rider has been replaced with a star class private session on the first sea day from 8:30-10am. I had heard about this change on various cruise forums so it was expected news. Snacks are no longer delivered to star class suites unless requested. They are taking a more targeted approach and trying to reduce waste. Snacks will be planned as we go. This is one change I am happy about. When we choose to snack we prefer it to be a favourite, not just random food. Balloon drop welcome at midnight has resumed. Will get more details once onboard. 2 parades. Will get more details once onboard.

Every time I hear that word I think of you. Lol

This was the inspiration for the Christmas Vacation theme blog. Lindsay purchased this 1974 Ford Country Squire a couple of months ago and his dream was to drive it in our towns Christmas parade. The lighting isn’t the best but his brothers business was awarded 3rd prize It was a crowd favourite.

Genie News I heard from our genie at the 26 day mark. So excited that we got Berty! His introductory email was brief asking for dining & entertainment preferences, beverage selections for in suite and to pass along any additional or special requests. I outlined everything in a word document; that way he has one document vs a bunch of email threads. A few days passed and I received an email offering to review the document I sent by telephone. I have heard of some genies doing this but I was still impressed. A quick call can avoid a bunch of email threads and possible misunderstandings. It’s not always easy to interpret and deliver a guests vision through an email thread. I feel like we are off to a great start!

Star Class Questionnaire I have been reading in various forums that the questionnaire received at the 60 day mark has been hit and miss. This was the first year I didn’t receive it either so I used an old link to submit it. This is a copy of the survey from last year. I am not sure these surveys are read by the genies but regardless I spend the most time on the question: How can we make your onboard experience amazing.

Cruise Planner Purchases Couples Thermal Suite Photo Package up to 100 Plane Spotting at Maho Beach, St Maarten. We did this last year and it was a lot of fun. All Access Ship Tour. This tour resumed before star class tours did so I may end up cancelling this.

Starmony Christmas Vacation Itinerary Nassau, St. Maarten, San Juan Puerto Rico Stateroom This is our first time on Harmony and we are staying in a 2 bedroom ATS #8730. Even though I am #teamdeck17 we want to try different star class suites. The appeal of the ATS for us was the 2 bedrooms, large deck and proximity to the Aqua show. We really don’t like losing our living space in the evening when the sofa gets turned into a bed at 6pm. We are fine with the long walk, but my hope is we see less room service strays in the hallway (that was a pet peeve on Anthem) Time will tell, stay tuned. Flights Direct flights from Calgary to Fort Lauderdale are limited to WestJet and only once per week so we are flying out a week early on their direct flight in Premium. Pre Cruise Hotel Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort - Oceanfront 1 Bedroom Suite December 17-24 We have never stayed here but the resort looks beautiful and our suite has been recently renovated. It checked off a few must haves: oceanfront, separate living area, kitchen and spa with dry sauna and steam showers. Car Rental Enterprise from FLL airport.

The Starmony “Christmas Vacation” blog is officially underway! We are counting down the days until this Christmas vacation gets underway. We are T - 11 days and the excitement is real! If you followed along last year, you know we like to have fun with a Christmas theme. This year it’s National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, a family favourite Christmas movie. We have a few fun things planned so follow along. Who’s going? Myself (Jacquie), 17 year old son (Reyd) and hubby (Lindsay) For those that followed along last year, our good friends Robert and Tammy are back again this year. Robert is a hoot so we are in for a fun week. Our group has expanded to include another set of good friends along with their 12 year old daughter and 16 year old son. These friends are travelling with a respite worker for their daughter and will be accessing many of the Autism Friendly Ship programming and supports.