Jax

We have never eaten at Giovanni’s; on Anthem it was Jamie Oliver’s.

Chops menu. This is our #1 favourite specialty dining. The seafood tower is gone but I have heard of them offering something close; if so this will make Lindsay happy.

Genie news today included menus from the specialty restaurants. First up is CK. Filet night is Night 1 and I told Shane that I can not disappoint our friend @Lovetocruise2002 like some others have. Lol Filet night has become a right of passage and I need to join this club!

Update on hot tub The process surrounding the hot tub on the balcony of the GPS is somewhat of a mystery. I couldn’t find much written about it from past guests. I asked Shane if the hot tub could be filled on embarkation day for the duration of the cruise. Shane and the suite attendant will look after filling and the suite attendant will have the water tested and treated daily as needed. This sounds simple enough. I will report back once onboard but if it works as described, it will be a real treat for Reyd and I because we love our nightly hot tub routine.

Haha, I totally missed that! Good catch.

Glad to have you following along! Believe it or not 11:30 was the earliest check in time due to Covid boarding protocols and lucky foe us I got that time! So we will be one of the first to board. Yay!

Here is the policy of the Canadian government. Note the distinction based on your method of arrival. In @Lovetocruise2002instance she is arriving by land and must “take a molecular test in the United States within 72 hours of your planned entry into Canada”. https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada#pre-entry-test Arriving by car, bus, boat, ferry, or train from the United States You must take a molecular test in the United States within 72 hours of your planned entry into Canada Flying to Canada You must take a molecular test within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time of your flight to Canada. If you have a connecting flight: the test must be conducted within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time of your last direct flight to Canada you may need to schedule the test in your transit city

Thank you for following along!

Star class amenities received in Shane’s email.

I replied to Shane’s email by compiling everything in a word document. I did not do this on our first star class cruise and I chalk it up to a rookie mistake. It ensures everything is outlined in a single document and will hopefully keep our requests and priorities organized for Shane. Once I receive copies of the specialty dining menus and entertainment schedule I will finalize our preferences with Shane. Observations from Shane’s email: On Anthem we were not given VIP wristbands which became frustrating so I am glad Shane mentioned them.

I hear ya. If something messes this up I will need therapy from more than just my family! This twinning is going to be fun! I can just see us, blogging in real time from CK on filet night. Lol

Thank you so much! Glad to have you follow along! I hope you get your star class rescheduled soon.

Genie introductory email

Genie news on Day 28 - Shane is our genie!! Based on everything I have heard about him I think we won the genie jackpot!

Why Festivus Miracle? Obviously we are Seinfeld fans. After our upgrade to star class, we were watching a rerun of the Festivus episode and the blog name was born! You will have to follow along to see what Festivus celebrations make it into the blog. I had forgotten about the airing of grievances and feats of strength. So many possibilities. Haha

Genie questionnaire The genie questionnaire arrived on day 54, only 2 days after we upgraded. I have mixed feelings on this questionnaire but decided to complete it anyways and will see what happens. I didn’t spend a lot of time on it. Many of the questions were unchanged but I was happy to see a new question “How can we make your experience onboard amazing?” That is the area I spent most of my time on. On the dining, snacks and beverage questions I said more details would follow with our genie in pre cruise communication.

Festivus Star Class Miracle – Oasis December 19-26 Who’s Going? Myself (Jacquie), son Reyd 16 years old and hubby Lindsay. We have never cruised with anyone before but friends from Victoria BC are joining us. They were a last minute add on and were not able to get a junior suite so they are in an ocean balcony but have the unlimited dining and refreshment packages. What are we Celebrating? After the past 21 months leaving is reason enough to celebrate but we have a few big celebrations. Reyd turned 16 this fall and is now driving. Lindsay and I along with our friends are celebrating our 30 year anniversary and a birthday celebration for me. Flight There are no direct flights from YYC to MIA and limited ones from YYC to FLL. A direct flight was important to avoid possible weather related delays so we are flying direct from YYC to MCO and then driving to Miami. WestJet Premium because it’s a long flight. The boys have some planned stops along the way to Miami so it will be fun. If you like Prevost Motor Coaches you will enjoy the trip. Pre-Cruise Stay Dec 16th Marriott In Terminal YYC airport Dec 17th Disney’s Polynesian Resort – Theme Park View Dec 18th Intercontinental Miami – Club Biscayne View Post-Cruise Stay Margaritaville, Hollywood – Oceanview Hyatt Regency MCO airport Car Rental Booked through Sixt as there is a drop off location at the Intercontinental Miami Hotel Itinerary Perfect Day, St Thomas, St Maarten Stateroom Grand Panoramic Suite – Star Class #1758 ️️ Cruise Planner Purchases Coco Beach Club Floating Cabana Coco Cay Wave Jet Tour (Lindsay & Reyd) In progress as there is only 1 time slot available. Plane spotting at Maho Beach St Maarten Thermal Suite - couples pass Photo package 100 prints Pre Cruise Thoughts Reyd and I are so excited to stay in this Suite. I love that it has new décor, is on one level and has a hot tub! I am wondering how Lindsay will react to the upgrade. That’s right he has no idea! He likes the perks of star class (even if he doesn’t know they are star class lol) but was so so on the genie last time so we are hoping this one will renew his faith in the star class experience. I am pretty sure the suite itself will win him over because he did not like the 2 story loft on Anthem. More on his reaction later. I am relieved to be sailing out of a warm weather climate. We were prepared for winter when we cruised on Anthem. NYC was on our bucket list so we were ok with the extra winter wear and luggage but it was a one and done for us. We prefer sailing out of warm climates. Can’t wait to experience one of those star class cakes I see so many pictures of. I have some ideas so stay tuned! Due to the time of the our flight in the morning the airport testing centre is not yet open so I am working on getting a private test at the airport hotel in YYC the morning before we fly out to avoid a second test in Florida. December’s booking schedule isn’t open yet so more to follow on this. The PCR testing requirement is staying in Canada for trips greater than 72 hours so I will start looking into testing options in Florida. What a bummer. In the spirit of a live blog please ask any questions and I will do my best to answer them.

The Festivus Star Class Miracle Blog is officially underway!! We are counting down the days until our 2nd star class cruise; this one on Oasis. I have been reluctant to start this blog for fear of something messing it up but I am trying to push that fear aside and enjoy this experience. Plus if I am going to post in real time about the star class process I really need to get started! So when in doubt I turn to my Magic 8 Ball. I got an “outlook good” “without a doubt” and “yes” so here we are!! Like so many others, getting to this point has been a rollercoaster of emotional ups and downs and it will truly be a Festivus Miracle once we board Oasis! This cruise was originally planned for Easter 2021, then Easter 2022 and due to hubby’s work schedule, we had to do a last minute change to Christmas 2021. Inventory was limited, so it initially meant no star class for us, so we settled on the last available crown loft suite. I had my TA waitlist us for any star class suite that came available on Deck 17. At the 56 day mark our Festivus star class miracle was granted when the Grand Panoramic Suite became available. I grabbed it! I am still doing a happy dance! Our first and only cruise with Royal was over Christmas 2019 on Anthem. It was star class and soon after that cruise we knew that we wanted to try an Oasis class ship; specifically for Deck 17 and the proximity to the Suite lounge and CK. We had a few hiccups on that cruise so we are looking forward to having a much better onboard experience this time! I now have the benefit of a TA, all of your expertise and the wisdom gained from this amazing community over the past 2 years so I think we should be in good hands! I owe a huge thank you to @Lovetocruise2002 @Mindybrite @WAAAYTOOO along with others who have generously shared their knowledge, expertise and advice. I share @Lovetocruise2002love of suites and star class and consider myself a “west coast Canadian suite snob”. LOL Thank you doesn’t seem like enough but I hope to pay it forward through this blog. Now let’s get started!

Haha this made me laugh; that’s what hubby called it after his one and only visit.

I am sorry to hear about these temperature issues. We sailed Anthem over Christmas 2019 and were in 10320 and had serious HVAC issues with our suite. After the first 4 days of temperatures fluctuating between low 60s and low 80s we asked to meet with the chief engineer. My husband finally reached his limit and moved into the suite lounge and wasn’t returning until the problem was fixed. Within hours we had a team of people troubleshooting the source of the problem….it was determined that the thermostat had been rewired to send heat up to the second floor even when on AC setting. Wreaking havoc with temperatures on both levels. This didn’t surprise us because we could see the heat indicator on even when on the AC setting but our concerns were initially overlooked. If you haven’t make sure you check the thermostats just in case your system was wired this way.

Still on cruise planner for Oasis Dec 19th 2021

Thank you! This is very helpful intel. Yes my son and I have a nightly hot tub routine. Quite often we picture our back yard as an ocean so sitting in a hot tub on our very own deck looking out at the ocean is very exciting for us! I will definitely find out more about the hot tub process and report back.

So far I have never had to produce a negative test for anything so having to produce one for our first trip makes me nervous. My hubby on the other hand gets a work mandated PCR test anywhere from 1-3 times a week so the requirement for travel testing doesn’t really faze him. It’s just part of his routine so he doesn’t stress about it. I am trying to adopt hubby’s outlook! We will wear N95 masks on plane and try to limit our 16 year old sons interactions leading up to the cruise as best we can but mostly we will continue to follow the safe routines we currently have in place and hope it works out.

We have a hot tub at home so I am hoping the process may work the same. Have it filled on Day 1, maintained at a certain temperature and test and treat the water daily. That way it will always be available. I will definitely bring this up with our genie in pre cruise communication and report back!

It’s our first time with a hot tub on our deck. Will it be filled on embarkation day and then maintained at a certain temperature for the duration of our cruise. Who performs the daily water treatment and testing. I was thinking I would address this with our genie in pre cruise communication but would welcome any insight.