WAAAYTOOO

We have been getting our snail mail offers for the past couple of weeks. There was a period of time when we weren't getting them, though. The offers are awful so we just dump them in the trash but we ARE getting them.

So how many nights did you spend in Bayonne tied up at the dock ?

You're welcome !

No...you will have no problem getting reasonable reservations as long as you make your reservations soon after boarding. With each passing day the reservations fill up and it becomes harder to get a time and location that you want but if you make them early, you should have a good selection of times and locations. We always get the UDP and only maybe twice have we ever had to dine at an inconvenient time....and that was when we cancelled our original reservation and had to rebook. I think we ended up eating at 9:30 but that's really about the only time that has ever happened. The only reservations that are made prior to boarding are those that are made by people who pay full price for their specialty dining (pre-purchase dining through the Cruise Planner). All dining package reservations are made on board so there are really plenty of locations and times available on day 1.

I think they have relaxed the rule about not taking drinks out of the Diamond Lounge. Back in the day they used to restrict the "free" drinks to the lounge but now that they have implemented the 3 drink "coupons" on your seapass, they don't really worry about it anymore. We very often take drinks out of the lounges. Yes, it is my understanding that you can "give" your free drinks away if you so choose. There will always be people who try and take advantage of the complimentary drinks, unfortunately. That's how we end up losing loyalt perks !

The Diamond Happy Hour "coupons" are only good during the normal Happy Hours. They are generally good at any bar and in the MDR. Not sure if they are good in the specialty restaurants. Congratulations on making Diamond !!!

Guess you're goin' to CocoCay no matter which one you choose !!

Yikes ! Sounds like the Star Class food coma is coming early to 10730 ! I love Alan from afar. What great service ! So happy to hear it. Interested to hear how Alan handled reserved seats at Mama Mia for the second half of the show. Did he have to “stand guard” over your “Reserved” seat covers to ensure no one removed them ? Must have been tricky.

OMG they have those horrific metal chairs ! They’re horrible. My fanny does not fit in them and they are SO uncomfortable. Looks like delivery only for us !

There’s nothing wrong with your plan as long as you cancel the reservation you don’t want in time for them to fill your reservation with someone else. While it’s never happened to me, there might well be a penalty for cancelling a reservation on very short notice. Not sure about that.

Excellent work !

Are there going to be Star Class ships porting out of a Quebec ?

Be afraid. Be very afraid ??

Princess Bride is my all-time favorite movie !

I think it is rare, but I have heard of some who have been upgraded to Star Class. Those suites generally sell out quickly but there situations where people have to cancel at the last minute for one reason or another. The bids required to do that are anyone's guess. Winning bids (from what I have read) have no particular pattern or value. Good luck !!

What did the final altered itinerary look like ?

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Don't I know that feeling....sorry we will miss each other.

Matt, are you staying on for the following week (12-1) ? It would be nice to see you again !!

Wow ! She looks so clean. ...like she just came out of the car <ship> wash ! See you on 11-1 !!!!

I would not expect Rhapsody to have any USB ports. ...and I would also expect that Rhapsody will only have a couple of plugs near the dressing table (probably 1 110 and 1 220 each). The older ships are massively underequipped for charging personal devices. You can give yourself a little bonus by bringing a 220 to 110 power adapter but be sure that any device you use for this is dual voltage and compatible with the ship's power.

Sometimes the special “holiday” meals exclude specialty dining (they have a “special” dinner for an upcharge, of course) but there is usually a couple of specialty restaurants open to the public for holiday meals (we often choose Izumi). Frankly, our last Thanksgiving MDR meal was the last meal we ever ate in a MDR. It was horrific. Everything about it was bad. Dan declared then and there that he would never eat in a MDR again, and we haven’t. That was on Liberty, I think. Hopefully others will have a better experience.

Just goes to show that everyone is different. I hated the full face mask. I felt like I had to hold my head in a peculiar angle and changed it out for a regular mask immediately.

I am so happy to help, Jax. So excited for you !

Yes ! Boarding is an important and confusing time. The SC procedure is completely different than that of other guests. 1. The boarding area for Star Class is Zone 6 at Port Liberty. Your Genie will tell you this once they contact you. I don't know how you are getting to the port, but make sure that, if you take a taxi or shuttle, they are able to actually get to Zone 6 ! We have had the WORST luck with getting our rides to actually deliver us to the correct boarding area ! It seems that the SC boarding area is almost always located in an area that regular taxis cannot access ! You will need to be in the far right-hand land (closest to the building) in order to turn right and make it all the way down to the SC flag. Otherwise, you will be schlepping your bags all the way through the very narrow battlefield of people trying to debark and embark at the same time. 2. Do NOT surrender your bags to anyone...even if they claim to be SC porters. Check in with the Star Class greeter FIRST. The greeter will then direct you as to what to do with your luggage. We now choose to keep our luggage with us but the normal process is to give your luggage to a special porter who will take it to your suite. We have had very poor results with this process (the bags are significantly delayed and then just "left" at the door) but others have been ok with the process. I guess my advice to you is just to make sure that the Genie knows that you want the luggage taken UPSTAIRS, whatever that takes. That's truly the most important thing. Make sure that the bags that you want upstairs, get taken upstairs for you. 3. Try not to be disappointed with the suites waiting area at Port Liberty. It is extremely underwhelming. Once your Genie comes to get you, it gets WAAAY better. The Genie will escort you (along with your bags, if you choose for them to remain with you) into a completely separate gangway from the rest of the passengers. You will go directly to your suite, if it is ready. I think our suite has only not been ready once but it does happen from time-to-time. The Genie will make sure you are comfortable, wherever you wait. Embarkation day is a very very busy time for the Genies so it is almost certain that he/she will have to meet briefly with you, take you to your suite and then go back and escort their next family onboard. He/she will return later to chat with you about your immediate plans and plans for the rest of the week. A lot will depend on what you choose to do for lunch on boarding day. We usually go to Chops but there are many options. So don't be disappointed if your Genie appears and then very quickly, disappears. They are running their butts off during embarkation. IF you are steak lovers, be sure and ask the Genie which night is Filet night at the Coastal Kitchen. On most ships, it is night #1 but recently, Allure has moved Filet night from night #1 to night #4. I believe last February Filet night was night #1 on Anthem. The Filet at Coastal Kitchen is very very good so if you're looking to enjoy the Filet at CK, it might be to your advantage to choose something else OTHER than Chops for lunch on boarding day (unless you really want steak twice in 1 day !!!). One of my big disappointments (which I quickly recovered from !!) sailing out of Bayonne was that we were not allowed to go up in the North Star while in port. I was so looking forward to seeing NYC and the Statue of Liberty from the port but it is forbidden for very logical reasons. If, for some reason, the NS was to go up and get stuck (which has never happened, to my knowledge), then the ship would not be able to sail. So they just simply don't let it go up until after they have passed all of the bridges. It makes sense, but it was still disappointing. That, however, was the only limitation of going up in NS that I can recall. Go as many times as you want....in the open ocean and at every port, if you choose to do so.