Jax

Laundry is one of my favorite star class perks! Picked up today at 10am and back by dinner time. ? I finally caught our ? doing some of his magic...Restocking my Pepsi ?

Led Zeppelin Tribute band was excellent. Lindsay had a family member who is a huge fan of Led Zeppelin on FaceTime and they loved watching it remotely! He headed over to the Schooner bar and the guy playing the piano played a request for the same family member on FaceTime ?

We Will Rock You ️️️️ Lindsay thought the show was excellent. Great singers, storyline, crowd gets involved, lots of good songs from Queen, good length. Take the time to go see the show. ????

I have held off on reviewing genie experience as I want to experience the full 8 days first but with only 2 sea days left I think some of the shortfalls may be due to his newness and inconsistent communication. The schedule the genie provides does not match up with the calendar in the app. So our app says we are eating in places that is wrong. Today for example the app had us at Jaime’s for lunch and Izumi for supper but we were actually scheduled for lunch at Izumi and supper at CK ? It has been frustrating to keep track of and it would be ideal if everything was loaded in app calendar. I also think it would help if we had frequent check ins from Andreas to review the days activities and dining the day before. It isn’t uncommon not to see him until he shows up while we are eating supper. Being new to Royal and star class perhaps we should have done a better job at setting expectations. We have no idea what the debarkation process is in terms of luggage or last day breakfast or time off Etc. So I will follow up on this.

On Sunday I asked Andreas to stop beverage deliveries to room unless they were in a can or we were there to receive them. I told him we only wanted our favorite snacks and foods delivered as per our list provided. No food has been delivered. Really, we don’t need more food but from what I read on other reviews this surprised me. I think it comes down to the genie as Romina (another genie) is everywhere with her families. Making deliveries, meeting up with her families throughout the day. I think Andreas is just less visible and works behind the scenes. We didn’t get off to a great start onboard as HVAC issues consumed our first 4 days. I have asked Andreas to deliver chips and dip but that’s it.

Food & Beverage deliveries to Suite I read lots about this on other star class blogs. The only deliveries to our room were beverages. Everything I mentioned in my Pre cruise communication with Andreas that didn’t come in a can was delivered all at once. It didn’t matter whether we were in our suite to accept the delivery. The drinks had ice in them so by the time we got back they were watered down and undrinkable. It was wasteful and we asked for this to stop. None of favorite snacks were ever delivered. I don’t think Andreas paid much attention to our genie questionnaire but rather relied on our pre cruise emails. In hindsight it seems like it was a waste of my time.

We are down to our last 2 sea days ?. So glad we have 3 nights in NYC to look forward to before heading home. We have lots more to do. More I fly, bridge tour, We Will Rock You, comedy show, Wave rider, BINGO and North Star. Lunch for the boys is at Izumi today with me ordering off alternate menu. Getting laundry done today before I start to pack. I love that laundry service is included as it would have been a budget killer. I was a bit reluctant with my stuff but so far everything has been great. The only items I don’t send are ones that I hang to dry. In those cases I have requested dry clean. It’s all been great. They are using our laundry pods provided.

Photo Package We bought the unlimited digital photo package. We got a great Black Friday deal for $149. I had no idea what to expect; as I only knew what Disney did. But it was definitely worth it. Evening pictures start at 5 and end around 10 with 2, 30 minutes breaks in between sessions. Most are set up on Decks 3,4&5. Throughout the day there have been pictures with Santa and the Captain and various others. And a few times they have been at specialty restaurants. They took some at Labadee but I didn’t see them in the suites area (I may have just missed them) The only suggestion I would have is to change up the poses. I think Disney offered more creative poses and props. But regardless I would purchase again as they are a great keepsake of our trip.

Lindsay hits I Fly & Wave Rider ️️️️️ Lindsay had tons of fun doing both these activities. Star class benefits really pay off as ? can book I Fly multiple times and star class gets you preferred access on the wave rider ?? If he can move in the morning from the workout he got today on the wave rider he is trying stand up tomorrow. Hours are 9-5 on 2 remaining sea days. IMG_2164.MOV

Review of Spectra’s Cabaret I enjoyed the technical aspects of the 270 theatre and the performances individually were good but the show lacked a storyline. I thought it was a futuristic storyline but then it went in a completely different direction. I was confused. Lindsay’s review is that it was 54 minutes too long and 55 minutes of his life he will never get back. He felt the entertainment was better watching people fight over food in the people jammer. ?

Our HVAC issues have finally been fixed!! I am simplifying the issue but essentially the main floor thermostat was set to heat (couldn’t get it off heat setting) and was directing heat over my bed on 2nd floor. The HVAC team tore apart some things on both levels and things are finally running smoothly. They came again today to do some A/C testing. The HVAC supervisor checks in a couple times a day and is monitoring our thermostats remotely. He is the best!! Andreas said he would share details about a future OBC for the hastle and inconvenience. I will update once I know more.

Merry Christmas guys from Nassau, Bahamas ?? Today was a great day in Nassau. Weather was perfect No plans to get on ship. We took advantage of our deck and had breakfast brought in this morning. Lindsay hit the flow rider at 11am and had a ton of fun. Reyd jammed out. ? Andreas come for a visit and we gave him his gift. He rocked the ?? Toque. Lunch at Johnny Rockets was great! Andreas got us a time in North Star @ 3pm — ? totally paid off on that one. ???? Lindsay hit Flow rider @ 4pm but it was boogie board only. So he is going back tomorrow for the blended sessions (which means you can do boogie board or stand up). Christmas dinner at Chops was so good that I totally forgot to take any pictures ?. The warm chocolate lava cake was one of the best desserts we have eaten. Christian wowed is tonight and we have asked Andreas to request him on Friday night. We are off to 270 tonight for Spectras Cabaret. I hear good reviews so I will let you know what we think.

Headliner Adam Kario ️️️️️ This show was fantastic!! He is a juggler/comedian. Appropriate and fun for all ages. Andreas set us up again with reserved seating in Royal Theatre with beverages and snacks. Not sure if the videos will come through ok but hope so! Happy Christmas Eve everyone — even though I am posting Christmas Day (it’s been a busy couple days) IMG_2009.MOV IMG_2008.MOV

Christmas Eve ?? Andreas ordered us prime rib and lobster tails to be delivered to Coastal Kitchen last night. Reyd just to just prime rib. It didn’t disappoint. We have had Joseph serve us twice in CK and he is the best! Charismatic, remembers our names, our favorites from last time and asks how our day was. So far he is the server that has wowed us; others seem to be going through the motions but Joseph genuinely loves people and it shows!

Sorry I was referring to beverages like water bottles and cans of pop. There are light snacks there throughout the day but no beverages other than tea and coffee during the hours we visited. That could be different during happy hour.

Random thoughts on stateroom AFT deck is great! It offers great views and is sheltered from wind. We have been able to use this space much more than Forward decks. Would definitely do that again. Downside on this ship is that you have to go to mid ship to reach stairs and elevators. So that gets tiring plus we are not use to passing by non concierge guests staterooms. Traffic is heavier than we are accustom with many room steward carts, vacuums snd my personal pet peeve, room service trays placed outside staterooms with leftover food ? I am waiting to offer reviews on stateroom as I want to be fair . So far our experience with our suite has not been good given HVAC problems and as a result we have been unable to spend much time in our room. Following temperatures on both floors of 62/63 last night i requested a meeting with hotel manager. Lindsay has left the Suite and isn't returning until long underwear, thermal tops and socks are not needed. ? The meeting with hotel maintenance manager was productive so we shall see how they do today. I will report back later in the cruise on the Suite review.

Concierge Lounge Thoughts Lounge is located on deck 12 AFT. It offers great views and lots of seating. We have visited the lounge several random times and we have yet to see a concierge host. Hours are limited and posted below. We were surprised to learn it was bring your own beverage as nothing except coffee and tea is offered so we had to go back to our suite to grab cokes to eat with our lunch. Disney concierge included waters and beverages for all concierge guests and you were always greeted by a Disney concierge host.

Jamie’s Italian This was our 2nd night there. The specialty dining has been outstanding at all venues. Excellent quality and choices and they have been happy to do any special requests. Lindsay has the lasagna and gave it ️️️️️ Said it was the best lasagna he has ever had. Reyd and I requested a special order of fettuccine Alfredo. ️️️️️ I had beef short rib with my fettuccine Alfredo. It was very good.

Holiday Singers Showcase The Anthem band plus various singers/performers sang popular Christmas music. It was outstanding, so much talent. ?? I think it was tonight only. Andres set us up with reserved seating and our usual popcorn, water and coke. Rather than seating us up front he and the other genie have selected seats a bit back in sections seating for and a ledge for good and beverages. This is the 3rd night in a row we have been in the Royal Theatre and it’s been no where near full. I thought with the holiday sailing theatres would be full. ?

Labadee As you guys know this is our first time cruising with Royal so following the itinerary change from Coco Cay to Labadee I had no expectations. We didn’t really explore the island so my review is limited to the suites area. The over water cabana was great! Weather could not have been better. The suites area was nice. Lunch was ok; hotdogs were very good. I found the buffet selection a bit limited compared to Disney’s Castaway. It was also a bit strange that every time you ordered any type of beverage they had to take your sea pass with them. And you couldn’t use 1 sea pass for the 3 of us. Only 1 drink per person at a time. Andres met us on island and stayed with us until we reached the cabana. I was actually surprised that we didn’t see him again for any sort of check in throughout the day to see how our day was going. I think the one notable difference between Labadee and Disney’s Castaway was that the on board concierge take care of you while at your cabana. I didn’t realize how much we liked this personal touch until today when we had no check ins except from our cabana host who lives on the island. Here are some pics of our cabana and the eating area.

Lindsay did it too followed by lobster entree

Lindsay ate it all followed by lobster meal!! My son and I aren’t big seafood eaters. It was impressive to watch.

I don’t know of a challenge Lindsay won’t accept! Lindsay did the pineapple a day challenge in Maui 2 Christmas’s ago and let’s just say by New Year’s it didn’t end well. ?

Update on HVAC Long story short problems continue ?. We were as high as 78 last night possibly higher in bedroom on 2nd level. And as low as 61 on main floor. It sounds like we now have the right people involved in finding a resolution. In order to regulate the 2 levels we have had to give control of our thermostat over to Royals HVAC team. We communicate our needs to Andres and they work behind the scenes to try to balance out both thermostats. More discussion to happen tomorrow as the main level is still on the cold side. Lindsay thinks we should capitalize on this situation and offer up the main floor as a meat locker and the 2nd floor as a thermal suite. ? We are excited for our over water cabana tomorrow, visiting Labadee for the first time and know it will be a great day!! Can’t wait to share the highlights with you!

Headliner Tony Tillman - Royal Theatre This was an excellent show!! ️️️️️ Was about an hour long and was fun for all ages. Very engaging with crowd. Great singer.