WAAAYTOOO

YUK !

Dan and I are on B2B Star Class cruises on Anthem right now. I cannot say enough about our Genie, Yen. She has been absolutely priceless. Yesterday (day 4 of the first cruise) we were in Port Canaveral. A situation, too involved and convoluted to get into now, required that all guests disembark the ship. Yes, I mean EVERYbody, including staff. We were already off the ship when they forced everyone else off so when we got back to the terminal, it was mayhem. A thousand or more guests - some in still-wet bathing suits - all waiting to reboard the ship. Tempers were beginning to flare and we were stuck in the terminal. Thank GOD I still has the loop app on my cell phone. I texted Yen for help. She came down and escorted us past hundreds and hundreds of people straight onto the ship. THIS is why having a Genie is so incredible. This morning we are in Coco Cay. I am staying on the ship but Dan wanted to go snorkel. He told Yen that he did not need an escort off the ship b/c he wasn’t going until around noon. Surely by then there would be no line for the tenders, right ? He got ready, went down and the line to get onto the tender on deck 3 stretched all the way into the casino. He called Yen. In 2 minutes she was there to take him to the front of the line to catch the next tender to shore. THIS is why you have a Genie. We wanted to try the bumper cars. When we went up there, the line was all the way around the sea plex. Yen took us to the front of the line and we got into our cars as soon as the next session started. The story is the same for North Star. We waited at the bar with a drink and boarded the next session while everyone else was standing in line in the sun. The suite is sweet, the all-inclusive specialty dining and drinks packages are awesome but IMO, Priority access is the biggest perk of Star Class. You have an advocate that can get you just about anything. In our pre-cruise questionnaire, I noted that Dan likes Modelo Negro beer. Yen wrote back to us that, sadly, the Anthem had discontinued stocking Modelo Negro. No problem....we made a second choice and forgot all about Modelo Negro...but Yen did not. Yesterday, she came to our suite with a tote bag full of Modelo Negro that she had scavanged from God-knows-where on the ship. It was such a sweet gift that she even remembered. THAT’s the kind of personalized service you get with a Genie. In the past we tipped the Genie the $100 per day but I think we are going to need to up the ante for Yen. She has truly been a Godsend this entire cruise....and we still have another glorious week with her. We also have incredible stateroom attendants. What a great cruise this is and continues to be ! Star Class rules !

No doubt about it. You are already past the point of return. This will just solidify that !

I agree with Twangster. Being on Deck 17 is awesome. You are never more than a few steps from food or drinks or the elevator. I believe in some cultures that is how they describe heaven ?

Matt is evolving !! YIPPEE !!!!

This is why we always prepurchase the DDP even if the D+ discount would have saved a few bucks...I don't want to see the cost of ANY DRINKS on my final bill !!!

That's why I think that site is fairly useless. It gives you NO details about what is or is not available. I just call them or ask Michelle to call for me. It's just as fast.

YIPPEE !!! They are so much fun. IF you're talking about the October Brilliance cruise, we are on that one, too !!!

I totally agree with Twangster. Check the airline prices FIRST b/c that is likely to be nearly as expensive as your cruise itself.

Sometimes even tipping doesn't help. We are very generous tippers and sometimes it's just not good enough ! I have 2 examples: 1. In Bayonne a few years back, we dropped off our bags with the porters (they are longshoremen at Bayonne) with a generous tip. The luggage tags have METAL attach straps so it's virtually impossible for them to "come off". Our bags mysteriously somehow "lost" their tags and we (along with many others) had to go to a big room on the ship and find our bags. They were all there but it was a true PITA. Later found out that the union was in a tiff with management about a new contract. Unacceptable. 2. In Galveston our biggest bag disappeared off the face of the earth. No idea what happened to it. It has never been found. This is a REALLY, REALLY good idea. You really have no choice but to leave your bags with the ports on embarkation. The big bags won't go through the scanners so you cannot just carry them on yourself. However, on disembarkation, we no longer leave our bags outside our door for the porters. 100% of the time, we carry all of our bags off ourselves UNLESS we are using Luggage Valet, which is a WONDERFUL program.

ya scaaared 'em

This is GREAT news ! Well done !

For whatever reason, they always only offer this event on the first night. We did it MANY years ago....can't remember which ship. I enjoyed it. Dan did not. I seem to recall a special menu from [at the time] Portofino's. I think it was worth it to do it once. I don't think we would do it again. Dress code was casual.

Your wife has excellent taste ! I also love, love, the cream of mushroom soup. I can already (almost) taste it. Will be boarding Anthem in 2 days !

YIKES ! I think that's an awful big jump in price. I guess the program has been a success !!

Actually, I HAVE found that the more I cruise the less often I get the land waves. I also mostly feel it (rare, anymore) when I lay down and close my eyes.

VERY careful planning ! ??

Congratulations !!

...I think you mean "faint of wallet"... ?

It seems that this program has been well received. I'm not surprised to see it spreading. Good luck if you DO bid !

We never take our passports off the ship.

We'll be on LIB late April-May.

Twangbot, I am with you on this one. I wish that they would charge me just a little bit more and include a few things but....in this very competitive market it's all about getting to the lowest possible fare. Too bad, really.

Of course you do.... ?

Sometimes it helps to call. I was on a cruise a while back and it was well within the 60 day window. I called to ask "what's up" and within 15 minutes the entertainment reservations came online. Sometimes I think they just forget ! Maybe it was just a coincidence....