joshgates

Yes! They're fantastic.  They do have some limitations since they rely on being able to connect to other apple device to report the location, so there can be some lag in reporting its position.  That said, it was nice being able to see it loaded onto the plane, get a rough idea of when it'd hit baggage claim, and especially somewhere like The Bahamas where luggage drop off was at the airport, track it on the way to the ship.  Ended up tossing one in every bag, well worth it imo.

Spent the afternoon acting like a slug at the suite deck bar.  Great company there, and Dana is a 5-star bartender. She was supposed to work the Rising Tide bar, but it is down for maintenance this week. Our gain.  Gorgeous day, couldn’t ask for better weather so far. 🙂

Waiting to board. At check-in they only wanted to see our negative tests, they didn’t even look at our passports, they didn’t want to see our shot cards because they are loaded thru the app. Your mileage may vary depending on the port and the ship.

Recap-
Some quick disclaimers influencing recap: first sailing post Covid, first time Star Class, many times in suites, third time on Oasis class, first time on Oasis
Overall this was the best sailing I have been on. Once the stress of getting to ship and passing testing was complete, everything was amazing.  We loved Star class and recommend to anyone willing to pay for it. The genie concept is awesome. The have authority to do lots of things which make the trip more enjoyable. Oasis sailed at 65% capacity and so the value of a genie will be even higher when capacities increase. We had about 5 hours of direct interaction with genie during sailing, very little correspondence prior and genie spent an unknown amount of time behind the scenes putting everything together for us. We really loved the deck 8 two bedroom aquatheater room. It allowed my three kids to have their own room and provide a spacious home base for our group. We didn’t mind the walk to midship and being on Central Park deck is convenient for restaurants. Only complaint was noise the one night aqua show was done at 10:30pm. All other showing were loud but we were awake. Didn’t go to Cats, too long for kids.
Having drinks and snacks delivered to room daily was very enjoyable. As was escort off ship on port days. 
Overwater cabana was awesome and made for an perfect day.
My wife and I will be on Symphony in 6 weeks with three other couples enjoying the 4 bedroom Villa. I will likely share some details on this blog. 

I will effort to answer question folks may have.
Thank you for following along.
P.S. I gained 13 pounds despite 500 burpees and pull-ups spread out over the week. Luckily I have already lost 9 of these pounds in 3 days. I think the change of salt and alcohol intake caused water retention. 

Portside BBQ. Great food.my daughter danced with staff.

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.  
 

We have a A1 2 bedroom Aqua theater for my wife, twin boys (turning 7 on sailing) and 5 year old daughter. Also joining is my sister in law and her 18 month old son. There are 3 other families in Sky class suites and two sets of grandparents in Junior suites.
I booked this suite the day it released back in November 2019 while on board Navigator. 
We are flying direct to Miami from San Francisco. I splurged on first class seats since we had lots of American credits from cancelled cruise flights. 
Staying near Miami airport the night before cruise then using hotel shuttle to ship (if times are bad we will use other transportation)
Got an over water cabana for Coco Cay. With current protocols we are required to purchase Royal excursions to take kids off ship in other ports. Because of this rule I purchased a mainland excursion to ruins in Cozumel. (We usually do an island beach club on our own) In Roatan we will go to Sol y Mar for beach time. No plans currently for Costa Maya. The port pass apiary I have read others have done has not been available in cruise planner.
Received Genie email from Shane. Gave him a list for dining times and places for each night. I hope that there will be flexibility to make changes if necessary. 

Made beer and wine requests for our room. I travel with a Yeti bag which I prefer over the cowboy cold fridges in Royal Caribbean rooms. I asked for 2019 vintage Coors Light (high snowfall in Colorado Rockies that year provides a hint of pine) If this is unavailable I’ll settle for 2021 vintage. 
Also asked Shane for an in suite ice cream party the afternoon of my twins birthday for all the kids in group.
Doing COVID tests locally before heading to airport. Plan to do two in attempt to reduce potential sample problems.
Listing this post in “Live Blog” section. No promises on quantity or quality of posts during sailing. Will certainly post a reflection on experience and answer questions once back home.

Gratuities are a per person/per day flat fee based on your stateroom type (in your case $14.50 is correct), not a percentage of the cost of your cruise.  Suites pay more per person per day than non-suites.  Other than that, they are the same whether you have an inside or a balcony, or what price you booked the cruise.  You're complicating it.
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense

Don’t get hung up on the term “gratuity” consider it more of a “daily service fee”

Man how things have changed.. Just a Couple of months ago I was on Symphony with my wife of 23 years.. Now I'm divorced stressed and needing a cruise!  I cant wait to share my experiences with you all from my Pre-cruise Stay at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront to my week on Harmony being a newly single person..   Coming with me is My friend Lisa and Ill be meeting a few people that I've cruised with before..  
No.. I don't have the dining package.. Drink Package on the other hand is a must..  I think its time to venture into the world of different cocktails, talk to strangers and hopefully entertain you all.. again its my first live blog..  
Ill be shooting and blogging from my iPhone 12 Pro XR..  Hopefully ill figure out how to upload pics from my Phone..   
 
Until Friday..  Peace Love and whatever crap you're into lol! 

I was six months in October.  Booster appt booked for as soon as I get back into the country.

"Best" is always a difficult item to quantify because what is best for one group may not be best for another.
The ultimate glacier to experience is Hubbard Glacier.  Currently that's only possible on Radiance class.
Quantum class is newer and has much more to do on board.  The counter argument is that Alaska cruising is not like Caribbean cruising.  You go to Alaska for Alaska, not the ship.  I've gone to Alaska five times and generally don't see the shows and don't do very much on board because I'm there for Alaska.  With very long days in port and majestic scenery outside it's not like Caribbean cruising where you need the ship to fill in during long spells in the ocean with nothing to see.   In Alaska you won't see any whales when you are sitting in the main theater.
Quantum class generally stops at Endicott Arm to visit Dawes Glacier but it's a quick stop, a 180° turn and then gone.  Radiance class is smaller so when they do a glacier call they can stay for an hour or two, do a couple of turns and then leave.  
I've sailed both Radiance class and Quantum class to Alaska and I have both booked to Alaska in 2022.  They are both great Alaska experiences but in different ways.  
I've learned over the years that many people will answer a question like this based on what they purchased as if it helps to justify their conclusion and how they arrived at their decision.  It doesn't matter why I picked the way I did because I'm not you.
Honestly this is where a good travel agent adds a lot of value, learning your likes and dislikes, what your group is looking for and then helping to guide you to the BEST Alaska cruise for YOU.

I booked Edge without any perks (not All In) as a solo in an interior at an unbelievable low price.  
I realize The Retreat will be off limits, I will only have Elite beverages, no wifi and I have to pay daily gratuity but I am less than $95 per night.  
 

It’s a judgement call.  If it continues and you reach your limit I’d suggest talking to the deck supervisor.  Ask your cabin attendant to get him or her.  Escalates from there if it doesn't improve   
But now you know why some avoid holiday cruises or spring break cruises 😎

I'm confused why you believe Royal should be responsible for luggage lost by the airline.

I just sailed solo with the Unlimited Dining Package and they were trying to force feed me it seemed 😂
I only ordered one appetizer and entree and the waiters were overly concerned and trying to get me to order more. The Chops waiter was almost disappointed when I refused to order the full sized filet over the petite filet.
They absolutely do not care about food waste, so order whatever you feel like!

Yep. And dog forbid you try to leave the table without ordering dessert.  I tried that and the Maitre-d' came over to check to see if I was ok, lol.  They insisted on at least bringing me some sorbet.

Probably for the best.  I'm considering switching to the Harmony for my December sailings now, even given the hassles of it.  They just released new protocols and you need a PCR test 3 days before boarding too.  So by coming in a day early I'll have to do the nasopharyngeal PCR test on Wednesday and a regular PCR test on Thursday, plus the antigen test before boarding.
Sure, technically I could try and just do one test on Thursday but I'm not comfortable losing a day for getting the results back.
I'm not opposed to the testing, and if it was just an antigen test 3 days before boarding I wouldn't care.

Royal Caribbean
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/getting-ready-to-cruise

Probably for the best.  I'm considering switching to the Harmony for my December sailings now, even given the hassles of it.  They just released new protocols and you need a PCR test 3 days before boarding too.  So by coming in a day early I'll have to do the nasopharyngeal PCR test on Wednesday and a regular PCR test on Thursday, plus the antigen test before boarding.
Sure, technically I could try and just do one test on Thursday but I'm not comfortable losing a day for getting the results back.
I'm not opposed to the testing, and if it was just an antigen test 3 days before boarding I wouldn't care.

Update:  After talking about things some more, we decided to bail now.  We're not adverse to testing at all, however the requirements stated by the Barbados government along with the current need to book a shore excursion to go off the ship made us decide to cruise elsewhere in January.  Barbados isn't going anywhere.  We will try again when things aren't as cumbersome.
FWIW, we changed to the same time frame on Oasis.  We've never been on an Oasis class ship, and we've been to the ports already, so if we can't go ashore without an excursion, we will have plenty to do onboard.

Mid-Cruise Random Thoughts
As I was uploading all of the room photos, I thought about random tips and thoughts that I would pass along...
Outlets in cabin:  
Downstairs: 2 US outlets, 1 Euro outlet 2 USB outlets Upstairs:  3 US outlets, 1 Euro outlet, 2 USB outlets Bathrooms:  Each bathroom has a low voltage outlet for a razor, but not set up for anything larger There are no outlets available for use next to the sofa downstairs.  However, Raj was happy to provide an extension cord that ran across the room for any electronics. Suite Level Bath Amenities:
Malin & Goetz Shampoo:  Peppermint Conditioner:  Cilantro Body Wash:  Rum Hand Soap: Rum Bar Soap Body Lotion:  Vitamin B5 Body Moisturizer Toilet Paper:
It sucks!  Thin-thin-thin-thin-thin...and pretty rough I know it is designed to breakdown in their septic system, and I looked online to see if I could bring my Charmin from home (spoiler alert - we can't), and I definitely miss it !! Aft Balcony:
We have the most beautiful view from the aft of the ship, but the smokestack drops black soot on the deck and furniture.  Raj suggested using the blue pool towels to sit out on the furniture.  However, we were wearing white the first day and didn't get that memo quickly enough.  The great thing is that Star Class gets complimentary laundry service and they took the marks right out of our clothes. Magnetic Walls:
The walls in this suite are not magnetic!  There are only a few locations in the suite that are magnetic, and you need super power magnets to hold anything other than a piece of paper. Temperature downstairs and upstairs:
The lowest temperature setting is 68.0 degrees, and when you change it, you move it .1 degree at a time.  Don't click too fast or it won't change.  Beating it won't help. If the person(s) downstairs like it warmer and those upstairs want it cooler, that could pose a problem because heat rises and cold air falls. There is a definite difference in temperature between the two floors.  Since my body doesn't know how to cool off anymore, I was melting.  Raj brought in a box fan for upstairs which fixed the issue.  He's our hero! TV Upstairs:
At first, I thought it was really cool to have a television in the ceiling that would come down at the push of a button.  After Raj and Agnel turned down our suite the first night, to include pulling down the television, we watched for a little bit when we went to bed.  Kenzie was sound asleep downstairs, and when we hit the button to raise it back up, it clicked very loudly when it began moving and then clicked very loudly again when it seated into the ceiling.  It was quite alarming.  I realized right away that one couldn't watch television after the other had fallen asleep because it would risk alarming the other with that noise. Doorbell:
This suite has a doorbell, which is awesome since it's so large and a light knock would definitely be missed. However, if you're sitting at the dining table, take note that the doorbell is in the corner on the ceiling, and is quite loud.  Whenever I'm at the table and the doorbell rings, it scares the pants off of me !! Mind you that none of the above are complaints on any level.  We just wanted to pass along some helpful things to note when staying in this cabin in the future.  It is such a fabulous space that I'm certain you will fall in love with immediately !!

Day 3- Sea Day!   
 
We woke up around 8am and Shane had our standing order of Starbucks and mimosas along with our breakfast. We wanted something quick so we could grab and go so we requested English muffin sandwiches. They weren’t exactly photo worthy so we spared you photos of this gourmet delicacy LOL but they WERE delicious and quick soooo mission accomplished! After that we got dressed and ready to explore the ship! We decided to use the Abyss slide as our personal elevator and took it down to the boardwalk. The slide is fun….MUCH slower than I expected. This gave me some time to ponder things like what if my mat got caught on something and I got stuck in there. Just as I began to wonder how long it would take to get the jaws of life on board the Oasis I popped out on the board walk. What a thrill….yes I’d do it again LOL I loved the lights inside! 
 
 Once on the boardwalk the riding wasn’t over as we saw the carousel! I am literally a giant child so this was a MUST do. We ran over and got a private ride! 
 
After much more exploring we had to met Shane for ice skating in studio B! What a fun experience it is to ice skate on a ship. It really makes you value even MORE how talented the skaters in the show are. In fact one of them was giving out skates and we had a long talk about his contract and life back home etc. Randomly he even knew my father who is also a performer like myself and worked with Disney On ice. Small world! It was also painfully obvious that I am no longer 18 as I had only thoughts of Aleve and BenGay after only 30 minutes on the ice! I needed to take some of this ice to go in fact for my lower back 😂😂
Ice skating worked up an appetite so we made our way to Port Side BBQ. Wow….just WOW! This is some of the most delicious BBQ I have ever EVER had! The ribs were nothing short of amazing! The portions are HUGE but also perfect for sharing so you can try it all! Don’t skip this one! 
 
While sitting at Port Side Shane popped up in true genie fashion with a “There you are!” He said he thought we had planned on El Loco Fresh or he would have had a table waiting for us here and managed the line. We assured him it was totally fine and the smell drew us in! Have I mentioned how much I adore Shane? You may get sick of hearing it LOL Also as we were leaving we found our first duck of the trip!

 After Port Side we went to our rooms and put on our bathing suits and grabbed our captains hats and headed for the solarium hot tubs! The solarium is a BEAUTIFUL spot on the ship! Protocols dictate that only a small amount of people are allowed in the tub at a time. It kind of is a hassle because you constantly have people wanting you to rotate in and out and it’s cold. However you want to be fair and it won’t be like that forever so hey….it is what it is! It certainly didn’t ruin our time as you can see LOL 
After several hours in the solarium it was time to shower and dress for dinner! Tonight was Giovanni’s! We basically ordered everything Lol 

After dinner we went to the headliner show which was Earl Turner! He was a fantastic singer and a great VEGAS showman. He truly used every inch of that stage with boundless energy and had a set full of crowd pleasers! We really enjoyed the show! 
 
After the show we had everyone over to the suite for night caps and to eat more of the endless wedding cake LOL We then called it a night! A super amazing first sea day! 

Ok ok ok OK….an apology! To say that I failed at the LIVE portion of this blog is a gross understatement. However I had NO idea just how busy and demanding it would be to film a vlog, host an entire group and oh yeah….get married while on a ship LOL After staying up till 2am writing and falling asleep with my phone IN my hand I knew it wasn’t going to happen!  However, fear not I have taken notes and will recount the experience now day by day…so just PRETEND I am on board LOL 
Day 2 (WEDDING DAY!)
We pulled in for our Perfect Day at Coco Cay at around 7am. We had a quick break fast on the balcony before Shane came to get us at 7:30am to get off the ship.  
 
Shane walked us off the ship and we were the FIRST ones to enter Thrill Waterpark! Of course after roughly 2 minutes of getting in it started a torrential downpour that got us all soaked (including Shane) we just could not stop laughing. We we to do all of the slides while Shane returned to the ship to set up the wedding magic. We managed to do ALL of the slides within an hour. We literally ran up all of the stairs which if you have ever been on Devils Peak you are aware is NO easy task…especially when you had been eating Star Class meals every 20 minutes since being on board LOL We managed it without needing any medical intervention….but barely. The tallest slide is an amazing experience but after breathlessly making it to the top and questioning my life choices we decided ONCE was enough. We loved the park and would absolutely recommend if for those of us who like thrills! 
 
After all of that climbing we decided to make our way to Oasis Lagoon! We are a sucker for a swim up bar! The pool was legitimately FREEZING! Lol All you could see was people stick their toes in scream before exiting or bravely accepting their icy fate. We did the latter and justified that the cold water just meant we needed to drink more as a source of mere necessity. Cruise logic ya see? And drink we did…and danced and laughed. The sun even that came out and it was a fantastic time! 
 
We eventually got hungry and I knew we had to go and try the iconic chicken sandwich! We first grabbed tacos because we needed some “walking food” to get us to South Beach LOL the steak tacos were AMAZING!! We Then made our way to South Beach where we got the secret chicken sandwich with mozzarella sticks and let’s just say that I am forever changed! DELICIOUS! I unfortunately don’t have photos as I was trying to keep my phone dry and sand free because I didn’t want to take any chances of not having it for the wedding LOL 
We then swam to the floating bar and had a few long islands! This was such a fun little addition. The drinks were strong and you could watch the fish swim by. By this time it was almost four and we knew it was time to head back and see what magic Shane had created and then get dressed for the sunset wedding! 

 
The moment we returned to the Suite we were completely blown away. We brought some decor with us but only the aisle/runner and some greenery for the railing. The way that Shane set it up with the chairs and bringing in the flower stands took our breathe away! 

 
The entire Suite was FILLED with perfect little romantic touches! 

After seeing all of this it was time t shower and get in our tuxedos and meet with our amazing friend Matt who was going to marry us to go over things. Shane was in constant communication with us regarding food deliveries and when the cake would arrive which was shortly before the guests. We had custom Funko Pop cake topper made of us for the cake but when they brought it in I audibly gasped! It was STUNNING! Beyond perfect!! 
I mean…can you even stand it?! And the platters of food were PERFECT for our party! 
Then the time had finally arrived! Sunset was upon us and it was time for the guests to arrive and for us to have our DREAM ocean view wedding. It was truly perfect….intimate, beautiful, personal, heart felt and beyond anything I imagined could be done. We are not “groom-zillas” and put our trust in Shane. However, The magic he created will live in our hearts forever. The sun set exactly as the kiss happened as if it were a movie. Here are just a few snaps from the ceremony 

After the ceremony we cut the cake and had a champagne toast! We had the best time! We decided to eat in the MDR for the dinner because originally it was formal night. However, they changed it due to it being a port day. But it was no big deal. It was nice for us all to be able to eat together and the captains tables were very special. They made us feel like a million bucks and it was nice to be dressed up. We ordered off of the premium menu and it was delicious! 
After dinner we headed to see the headliner show which was a juggler/unicycle performer. VERY talented but yikes…the comedy portion was a HOT dated mess. However, it was very VERY rough seas so the fact that he was able to accomplish things like standing on a vertical ladder in the midst of it was very impressive! 
The day was MAGIC and we were EXHAUSTED! Speaking of that you must be exhausted reading this as it is SO long! Next up our first sea day! 
 
 
 
 

ONE MORE DAY! 
 
Today was a WHIRLWIND! A very exciting one but a whirlwind! We drove from Tampa to Miami and it was a breeze. Took us about four hours. Sadly Jarell did not get to see an alligator along Alligator Alley….there was only one and he missed it but of course I saw it LOL Oh well…looks like we gottta hit up a zoo to make up for the betrayal soon! LOL We got to our hotel (Holiday Inn Port Of Miami) around 2:30. Since check in wasn’t until 3 ( or so we thought 👀👀) we decided to grab some food at Bayside Marketplace. I’m not sure if they were giving our free $100 bills or handing out a shot for every child you bring but it was PACKED! We literally had to play a game of frogger across traffic so much traffic that is felt like a taking a Zumba class from someone with an extreme caffeine addiction. Eventually we made our way over and settled on Chilis since it had no wait and we were in DIRE need of a cocktail. A few bites and a margaritas later and it was 3:30pm and we were read to check in! So we made our way to the lobby and they informed us that the hotel was at 100% capcity and everything was behind. So sadly our room wasn’t ready yet. No big dealsince we had to drop off our rental car anyway. Eventually they called us at around 4:15 and said our room was ready. Perfect timing since we had just dropped the car and we’re READY to take on Miami! 
We arrived at the hotel and checked into our bay view suite #711! Much like the other 7/11 I would say this hotel had a lot of amazing attributes and is SUPER convenient however….it could use a fresh coat of paint and maybe a light wash of holy water. None the less the views were FABULOUS and it was so spacious that we forgot all about the chipped paint and late check in. 

As soon as we got settled it was time for dinner at The Versace Mansion! I cannot recommend this enough. The house is iconic and STUNNING and the food and service was absolutely incredible! 
 
Now it is almost midnight and I am WIDE AWAY with excitement wondering how I am going to go to sleep…. Tomorrow is the day!!!!